| The first bottles we decided to buy that were | | | | the inside could be controlled and made to appear |
| not carved out of stone were made of glass. A | | | | crazed as these names suggest - Cracked Ice, |
| huge range of glass bottles is to be found in all | | | | Fish Net or Sea Spray. |
| shapes and colours as well as a variety of | | | | Most of the really fine snuff bottles were made in |
| manufacturing techniques. | | | | the Imperial Workshop and other small glass |
| Much more research is needed in order to date | | | | works around Peking. |
| these bottles, but it is generally now agreed that | | | | Stone Imitations |
| glass and metal bottles were the earliest materials | | | | With such expertise the Chinese were able to |
| to be used. The problem is that glass has been | | | | make astounding imitations of other materials. |
| used throughout the whole snuff bottle period | | | | There are many bottles that look and feel just |
| right up to the present day. | | | | like Jade, Aquamarine, Agate and other stones. |
| The Chinese had little use for glass prior to the | | | | There has been a view in the past that the |
| 17th century mainly because of their highly refined | | | | Chinese made these as fakes with the intention |
| porcelain skills. They had no glass windows, | | | | to deceive. I am sure that this was not the case, |
| favouring translucent paper. We are not sure if | | | | as it was far too easy to find them out by |
| glass had been used centuries earlier in China but | | | | careful inspection. Under magnification little holes |
| it was certainly introduced to them by Europeans | | | | on the surface that could not be polished out and |
| in good time for snuff bottles. | | | | tiny bubbles would be seen proving it must be |
| Cameo Glass | | | | glass. Lastly, glass unlike the stones can be |
| They considered it as a valuable material and | | | | scratched quite easily by steel. |
| excelled in producing very fine works of art. | | | | The Chinese enjoyed making convincing imitations |
| Sometimes they treated it just like a stone and | | | | of highly valued minerals as a demonstration of |
| carved bottles out of a solid piece, otherwise | | | | their skill. One other mineral cleverly copied was |
| they blew glass into moulds. Creating many | | | | Realgar with its bright red and yellow swirling |
| unusual bottles ranging from transparent to white | | | | colours, impossible to use because of a high |
| as backgrounds for colour overlay work. They | | | | arsenic content, so these copies would have |
| were also able to control bubbles and by the | | | | caused a lot of intrigue. |
| addition of white flecks in the glass, colours such | | | | Imperial Yellow |
| as these apt names suggest were created: - | | | | I have already mentioned that a wide range of |
| Sodden Snow, Camphor, and Snowflakes. | | | | colours was used for glass bottles. Such colours |
| These bottles would then be dipped into bright | | | | as sapphire blue and ruby red seem to have been |
| coloured molten glass which later would be carved | | | | the most popular of the earliest ones. However |
| away to leave a cameo style of design. Some | | | | the Emperor Chien-Lung had a favourite colour |
| were dipped more than once to provide more | | | | that he decreed could only be used by the |
| than one coloured layer. Another technique was | | | | Imperial family and this was an opaque shade of |
| to apply to different areas of the bottle coloured | | | | yellow that is now referred to as `Imperial Yellow'. |
| molten blobs of glass. When these were carved | | | | Not all bottles of this colour really are Imperial as |
| the bottle could have up to as many as eight | | | | after his death this colour was available to all. A |
| different colours cameo carved without increasing | | | | true `Imperial Yellow' bottle must be one from his |
| the number of layers. | | | | period and that can only be confirmed by the |
| Quality Counts | | | | quality of the bottle and the carving. The `Imperial |
| To a connoisseur, the number of colours or layers | | | | Yellow' bottle pictured is well carved with an |
| is not so very important, as it was not such a | | | | archaic design on both sides and is of the period |
| difficult process and a far softer material to carve | | | | 1736 - 1795. (See the photograph by clicking on |
| than stone. What really should be valued is the | | | | the link at the end of this article). |
| quality of the carving and the overall design. Quite | | | | Painted On The Inside |
| often a wonderfully carved and well-designed | | | | There remains one other area of glass bottles |
| single colour overlay will be worth far more than a | | | | that really amazes everyone, these being the |
| multicolour but poorly finished bottle. | | | | `Inside painted' bottles. I have only a couple of |
| To assess these bottles the colour is a | | | | examples in the collection, as I do not generally |
| consideration but great attention is paid just as | | | | favour them as in my view they were never |
| with stone cameo carving, to the quality of the | | | | made for use. Once snuff was put into them the |
| carving and especially to how well the background | | | | picture would not show up well, and the spoon |
| is finished close to the edge of the overlay. I | | | | would soon ruin the painting. |
| have selected a ruby red single overlay as a good | | | | I should also explain that they did not restrict |
| example to photograph. It shows a coiled `Chih | | | | inside painting to glass but have applied the same |
| Lung' or dragon on both sides; also having | | | | techniques to Crystal and Chalcedony. The vast |
| mythological animal mask and mock ring handles | | | | majority however are in specially designed glass |
| on each shoulder 1750 - 1860. The dragon is a | | | | bottles of a uniform shape. |
| birth sign used rather like our zodiac signs. (See | | | | What is remarkable is that through such a tiny |
| the photograph by clicking on the link at the end | | | | hole in the neck they could paint on the inside |
| of this article). | | | | landscapes, animals, calligraphy and even portraits. |
| There is a group of rather special, very finely | | | | In order for the image to show through the glass |
| worked overlay bottles known as the `Seal | | | | the painting had to be done in reverse, all such |
| School' because they always include a seal with | | | | fine details as the eyelashes for example, had to |
| the design. They were made later and date back | | | | be painted first! All of these bottles are signed by |
| from the second half of the 19th century. | | | | the artist and many, some very attractive ones |
| Although these were made in the same way, the | | | | too, are still being made today. |
| overlay is far more delicately carved and often | | | | For our own collection I felt that we should have |
| even the thickness of the overlay is controlled to | | | | one or two examples and I was lucky enough to |
| create shading. They normally used opaque white | | | | buy the earliest known, dated and signed inside |
| bottles as the background but some were also | | | | painted bottle by Kan Huan-Wen. He is one of the |
| worked on other opaque colours. So far, I have | | | | first well-known artist and highly respected. He |
| never seen any on the clear or snowflake | | | | has painted inside a rock crystal bottle, a scene of |
| backgrounds. The photograph* shows a fine seal | | | | Buddhist Lions with a poem on the reverse. This |
| school bottle depicting a pair of cats at play with | | | | bottle is signed and dated 1822. (See the |
| hovering insects amongst the flowers. On each | | | | photograph by clicking on the link at the end of |
| side there is a bowl of fruit on a table and on the | | | | this article). |
| reverse is another scene of a drunken poet | | | | Later we acquired another rock crystal example, |
| asleep in a garden. (*See the photograph by | | | | and these two are the only inside painted bottles |
| clicking on the link at the end of this article). | | | | that we have. I think that this one is quite |
| Layers of Glass | | | | remarkable, as the interior space is so limited, it is |
| Apart from these overlay types there are many | | | | hard to imagine how such a beautiful painting was |
| interesting mottled, swirling and colourful designs | | | | achieved on one surface without completely |
| as well as the plain colour bottles, both uncarved | | | | ruining the other. |
| and carved. | | | | It originally would have been a rather poorly made |
| Many of these were quite complex in the way | | | | double bottle. I do not know if the damaged half |
| they were made: some were blown into moulds | | | | that has been removed was done so before it |
| then finished by hand; others involved blowing a | | | | was painted, but I believe that it would have been. |
| clear glass into a mould but then another layer | | | | This was a very badly hollowed out bottle, of little |
| was blown inside the first bottle. This layer was a | | | | value, before it was painted. |
| thin colourful one, sandwiched by yet a third clear | | | | To my mind it is the fact that it was so poorly |
| layer that was also blown in. When looking down | | | | hollowed that makes the painting even more |
| at the neck of one of these bottles you can | | | | amazing! Have a look at the photograph. A |
| clearly see these three layers. | | | | continuous scene of fish amongst aquatic plants |
| A variety of colours were successfully used, | | | | was painted in red, gold, pink; white, green and |
| together with gold in the creation of snuff bottles. | | | | grisaille dated 1896 and signed Chu Chan-Yuan. |
| There is no doubt that their advanced knowledge | | | | This crystal has a natural flaw in the stone that |
| acquired in firing porcelain, and how metallic oxides | | | | adds to the under water appeal of this picture. |
| react, was put to good use in glass. | | | | (See the photograph by clicking on the link at the |
| It has also been suggested that apart from | | | | end of this article). |
| mixing in metals, even small particles of precious | | | | Most of the glass bottles purposely made for |
| gemstones such as Sapphires, Emeralds and | | | | inside painting are much larger than this crystal |
| Rubies were added to the molten glass. | | | | one. Some of the paintings achieved however are |
| Particular attention was given to the feel of the | | | | hard to believe possible. There are even portraits |
| finished material, which was achieved by the type | | | | that are so well done that they just look as good |
| of polishing and even the weight was controlled | | | | as black and white photographs! |
| by the addition of lead. With transparent bottles | | | | |