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- of goldstone. Chinese glass craftsmen mastered all aspects of the technical manufacture of glass like blowing, pressing, casting in moulds, undercutting and chiselling. Like potters, they also were able to imitate other materials in glass such as porcelain, jade, agate, realgar (an arsenic sulphide mineral) and other stones. One popular form of glass snuff bottle decoration was overlay. This technique, also known as Peking glass, was accomplished by dipping a glass bottle in molten glass of a contrasting colour or colours, and then carving through the outside layer to the original base colour, which was usually clear, opaque white or had a "snowflake" appearance. Painted enamels on glass were also a popular form of decoration.
Glass was also used to make inside painted snuff bottles. First, craftsmen would place iron, sand and emery in a glass bottle, shake it, mb it smooth, and then paint the interior with iron oxydal mixed with water to create a milky white surface suitable for taking paint and allowing for intricate detail. A hooked brush inserted into the mouth of the bottle was used to painstakingly create, in reverse, beautiful landscapes, portraits, calligraphy, and flora and fauna scenes. These highly accomplished miniature paintings inside the glass bottles were
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