Antique & Unique - Our buyers scour the country side and cities of China in search of Antique Snuff Bottles. Over the years they have managed to secure some amazing pieces for us. Our pricing policy for antique bottles is a cost-plus program which means if we get a bargain on a bottle, we pass the savings on. Inside Painted - One of the most famous and collectible types of snuff bottles is the inside or reverse painted. These little masterpieces are painted by reaching down through the neck of the bottle with a tiny curved brush or piece of bamboo. If painting through a quarter inch hole wasn't difficult enough, you also have to paint the object in reverse order since the first drop of paint to touch the glass will be in front of subsequent brush strokes. Thus the details must be painted before the subject. Eyes first, then face, then background. The "reverse" of how typical painters work. Colored Glass - The art of glass blowing has evolved into one of the most amazing art-forms. See our selection of mottled, speckled, and twisted glass snuff bottles. Each bottle is hand blown and takes the artist hours to complete. Enamel Brass - Tiny brass bottles are molded first. Next, the entire bottle is coated with a thin layer of porcelain to provide a super smooth surface. The bottle is fired in a kiln to harden the porcelain. Next the porcelain layer is sanded smooth and the enamels are applied. Once the designs are completed, the bottle is coated in a clear glazed and again fired in a kiln. Peking Glass - Starting with a glass bottle they dip it one or more times into contrasting colors of molten glass, allowing each layer to cool and harden. Next, the layers are carefully carved away to create beautiful designs. Guyuexuan - "Ancient Moon Pavilion" is the translation for this style of bottle. It is named after the Imperial workshop that first created the method for making these bottles. Glass bottles are painted with enamels then fired in a kiln. What makes this process unique is that there is only a few degree difference between the temperature required to fuse the enamels to the glass and the temperature at which the bottle melts and collapses. Carved Stone - Choose from a wide selection of specimen stones ranging from Agate to Jade. These bottles are selected not only for the carving work but the patterns in the stones themselves. Many are made from rare and difficult to find materials. Most of our stone bottles are carved in the homes of the artist to supplement their income practicing an art that has been passed down through the generations. Porcelain - The first specimens of Chinese porcelain date back approximately to 4000 B.C. whereas, the white ware, high fired type of pottery associated with the Tang Dynasty goes back to somewhere around 500 B.C. Our assortment of porcelain snuff bottles showcases some of the many methods used today.

There are many different beliefs as to who introduced the use of tobacco to the Chinese. I have read that tobacco was brought to China by the Russians, Manchu, Portuguese, and the Jesuit Priests. I would venture to say that it is likely that it was introduced in different regions, by different people, around the same time. That time would be the early to mid 1600's. Snuff was considered a more acceptable way of consuming tobacco than smoking. Snuff was originally stored in Snuff Boxes brought from the West, but the high humidity in China made them unusable. Thus the Snuff Bottle was invented. Actually, small glass bottles were used for medicine long before Snuff found its way into Chinese Society. Through the centuries the use of Snuff has been both embraced and condemned by the Emperors of China. In 1638 the use or sale of tobacco was illegal, yet a couple decades later, the finest craftsmen in the country were making Snuff Bottles for Empower. During the 1700's snuff increased in popularity among the Chinese, which created a great demand for Snuff Bottles. They became conversation pieces and collectable items almost immediately.