A Scottish-Commissioned Cantonese Rams Horn Snuff Mull Canton, China, for the Scottish Market, c.1820–1830

An exceptional carved horn snuff mull of traditional Scottish ram’s horn form, produced in Canton during the early nineteenth century for export to Scotland. Richly decorated with finely carved figures, buildings and landscape motifs.

While unmistakably Scottish in conception, the mull was executed by Cantonese craftsmen whose virtuoso carving transformed familiar Scottish forms into highly decorative luxury objects. Such pieces were commissioned by merchants, military officers and travellers engaged in trade between Britain and China,.

Combining Scottish social history, Chinese craftsmanship and the romance of the early nineteenth-century maritime trade, this rare snuff mull is a compelling example of cross-cultural decorative art.

15 cm high × 4.5 cm diameter