This 18th century Chinese snuff bottle is made of glass and is decorated with a dragon encircling the bottle, along with the sea, a whale's tail and an unknown sea creature.Tobacco was introduced into China from Europe in the late 16th century and was smoked in a pipe. The use of snuff, tobacco that has been ground to a fine powder and scented with essential oils, came later after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. At that time, smoking tobacco was forbidden but the use of snuff, which was sniffed, rather than smoked, was acceptable. This was because the Chinese valued snuff for its medicinal qualities. It was considered as an effective remedy for colds, headaches, and many other illnesses, the powdered tobacco was dispensed in a bottle, as were most other medicines in China.