INSIDE PAINTED SNUFF BOTTLES

 Inside painted snuff bottle is a kind of traditional Chinese arts and crafts started in around the Jia Ding and Dao Guang eras (A.D. 1796--1850) of the Qing Dynasty. They were made of crystal, agate, etc.. The Internal surface of the bottle is made roughen by filling emery and vibrating the bottle. The artist holds the bottle in one hand and carries out inside painting by using special hook-pen with various angles through the tiny bottle opening on the inner side of the bottle.

 The roughened inner surface obstructs the observation from outside. The success of the painting relies on the craftsmanship of the well-experienced artist who holds the pen steady during the painting. It is not difficult to learn that the work is complicated and hard. Only those who aware of this will treasure the value of this art.

 A skilled artist may complete an inside painted snuff bottle in a week whilst something special may take a month or more and that the best craftsmen will produce only a few bottles in a year.

 Strictly speaking, every hand painted inside pictured snuff bottle is a unique snuff bottle.