Snuff Bottles From The Qing Dynasty by Maaike Canne

Maaike Canne is an illustrator and visual artist based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, who has collaborated with clients including The New Yorker, Apple, The Atlantic, Pinterest, Die Zeit and Architectural Digest. She’s known for work that exhibits a thoughtful, surreal quality, and is influenced by architecture, design, nature and history.

For Creative Boom, Maaike has created an exclusive print called Snuff Bottles From the Qing Dynasty. This piece shows four snuff bottles in bright, colourful compositions, and is available exclusively from the Creative Boom Shop, for a limited period.

“Smoking tobacco was illegal during the Qing Dynasty,” explains Maaike. “But the use of snuff was allowed because the Chinese considered it to be a remedy for common illnesses such as colds, headaches and stomach disorders. The bottles were typically decorated with paintings or carvings, which distinguished those of different quality and value. Some were regarded as objects of high value, exchanged to mark social ties or presented as gifts from the imperial court.”

Consequently, there’s a lot of symbolism and meaning in the pictures portrayed on snuff bottles, and Maaike’s four contemporary designs follow that tradition.

Her piece, Snuff Bottles From the Qing Dynasty, is available to purchase as part of our debut collection at Creative Boom.

– A3 size (297x420mm)
– Exclusive to Creative Boom
– Free delivery, tracked and insured
– Available for a limited time only
– Giclée printing quality
– 100% carbon neutral
– Sold unframed