Snuff bottles, normally made of copper, silver and porcelain, were originally used by nomadic tribes of the Man, Meng and Tibetan nationalities in the Inner Mongolia, Tibet and the northeast China. In the Ming Dynasty, snuff bottles with increasingly diverse types and materials were introduced to other places in China. When it came to the Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, snuff bottles made of jade, jadeite, spar, gem, agate, ceramic, copper and silver and bamboo all appeared. With the growing technological level of art, snuff bottles was not only products with practical functions, but also precious arts and crafts of appreciation.

In Hengshui, inner-painted snuff bottles stand as a unique folk art. To paint in the snuff bottles, their internal face should be polished evenly with iron sand or emery. Then pictures of different themes are designed according to the size of snuff bottles and finally painted. Hengshui inner-painted snuff bottles, small but elegant, enjoy huge reputation at home and abroad. Among them, inner-painted snuff bottles with portraits of heads of all states are the most famous which are normally recognized as national gifts.

The techniques of inner painting snuff bottles originated from the Qing Dynasty in 1696 when the first glass factory in China was built under the command of emperor Kangxi. The factory was established to produce snuff bottles as national gifts. In the emperor Qianlong’s reign, other raw materials including ivory, amber, coral, agate, bamboo roots and crystal were all used to make snuff bottles. In Jiaqing’s reign, the school of inner painting was created in Beijing. When it came to Xianfeng’s reign, a wide range of methods to paint and make snuff bottles were created. In the late Qing Dynasty, a batch of masters in inner painting including Ma Shaoxuan, Sun Xingwu, Ye Zhong, Zhou Leyuan, Ding Erzhong and Zi Yizi appeared. The creation and development of inner-painted snuff bottles in Hengshui were closely related to the school of inner painting in Beijing with Wang Xisan as its original creator who originated a brush that was easy to be curved.

As one of the best examples of inner paining, now there is a dozen of craftsmen of Hengshui inner-painted snuff bottles who promote the inheritance of this precious cultural heritage. However, more efforts should be made from the local government and the public due to the lack of well-experienced inheritors.

Translator: ZHANG Ruochen