Each masterwork of art takes much skill and dedication to produce.
China’s deep history of traditional arts involving calligraphy, pottery, and remarkable paintings is a testament to the country’s ancient roots.
One of their intriguing classical artworks consists of painting the insides of snuff bottles — no bigger than the palm of a hand — with careful strokes of a tiny brush. As if that’s not tricky enough, everything has to be done in reverse so that it makes sense when seen from the front.
▼ We cannot begin to fathom the amount of practice it takes to perfect the craft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpeGQ5INHBc
Snuff bottles came into existence in the early part of the 18th century when ground tobacco was introduced to China, as a means of keeping the aromatic product dry.
Somewhere along the way, an artist by the name of Gan Xuanwen began using the interior walls of clear bottles as canvas, producing an exquisite new art form that quickly caught on among craftsmen. But as powdered snuff would damage the delicate paintings within, these were purely aesthetic vessels separate from those that actually contained tobacco. They soon became sought-after collector’s items for their artistic qualities.
▼ Some are really gorgeous to look at…
【鼻煙壺裡畫乾坤 筆觸精妙展示內畫藝術】“內畫藝術”起源於中國，通過畫師獨特的技巧，在透明材質的器皿內部作畫，筆觸精妙，鬼斧神工。這項手藝的產生最早起源於鼻煙壺，內畫鼻煙壺曾在京津一帶盛行。 pic.twitter.com/TcxBjfDDVt
— CCTV (@CCTV) March 15, 2018
▼ …while others just make us want to own them as decorations.
My collection② Chinese art Snuff Bottle
鼻煙壺 (Bienko) It's drawn from inside with brush. pic.twitter.com/DnXSQKeD1F— 🇯🇵Kay✝ (@Kay_J278095) August 22, 2015
▼ Some are so tiny that they are barely larger than fingertips.
指先サイズの鼻煙壺に鳥167羽 「内画」の超絶技巧https://t.co/GOR5cVdhg4 pic.twitter.com/dElnsgmxHB
— 人民網日本 (@peopledailyJP) September 10, 2018
Deftly inserting slivers of bamboo or fine brushes into the narrow necks of snuff bottles, craftsmen are so adept at doing everything backwards that they can even write in reverse.
▼ What a way to leave a message in a bottle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfeNaQr2anY
Although snuff bottles have been around for centuries, they remained largely unknown to the Japanese Internet until recently:
“There’s so many talented people in the world. I want one.”
“If I see this being painted before my eyes, I will buy it immediately.”
“So this is traditional Chinese art.”
“This is really amazing.”
“I’m sure they can be mass-produced, but hand-painting them makes each one truly unique.”
Interested individuals can search for “Chinese snuff bottles” or 鼻煙壺 online.
Cost varies depending on the design, size, and material used in making the bottles, with ancient and ornate ones fetching as much as US$10,000. Snuff bottles with simple paintings, however, can go for as low as $10, a small price to pay for a little piece of traditional history, and certainly cheaper than a heavy steel Chinese sword.
Source: YouTube/Aries Tcs, YouTube/Few Second FUN via Kotaro, Shanghai Daily
Featured image: Twitter/@Kay_J5536
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