The display in these cases is changed regularly in order to exhibit a variety of different snuff bottles.
The fashion for taking snuff first appeared with the advent of the Manchu Qing dynasty 清代 (1644-1911). The snuff powder was carried on one’s person in small bottles equipped with a stopper, to which a little spatula was attached. These objects gave craftsmen ample opportunity to show off their skill and inventiveness in the choice of shape, decoration and material.