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- Selected Bibliography
Hall, Robert and Ian Hardy. "Chinese Snuff Bottles, the Japanese Connection." Arts of Asia, Vol. 35, No. 5, 2005.
Kleiner, Robert. Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mary and George Bloch. Hong Kong, 1987.
___________. "The Tuyet Nguyet
Collection of Snuff Bottles and Saucers." Arts of Asia, Volume 28, No. 6, 1998.
Moss, Hugh M. Snuff Bottles of China. London, 1971.
Moss, Hugh M., Victor E. Graham and Kabo Tsang. The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle. New York and Tokyo, 1993.
Scott, Rosemary. The Miniature World, An Exhibition of Snuff Bottles from the J and J Collection. Taipei, 2002.
immensely fascinating and popular with art connoisseurs, and they are still being produced to this day with many artists gaining international renown. Some of the best known artists of inside painted snuff bottles are Ma Shouxuan, Zhou Leyuan, Ding Erzhong, Ye Zhongsan, Yan Yutian, Guan Yutian and Tang Cichuan, to name a few.
The designs, motifs and symbols on snuff bottles are immense and diverse. Symbols are derived from a multitude of sources such as legends, history, religion, philosophy and folklore. Auspicious symbols on Chinese snuff bottles are often in the form of visual puns called rebuses. Since a good number of Chinese words have the same pronunciation, there are plenty of opportunities for punning, but usually only those with a more sophisticated understanding of the Chinese language would understand the nuance. Over many centuries, rebuses came to have established meanings, sometimes hidden ones. The ideas frequently expressed were coded wishes for good health, prosperity, marital bliss, many sons, good luck, happiness, advancement in one's career, longevity and even immortality to the owner or giver of the artefact.
Many foreign traders coming to the Chinese markets in the 18th and 19th centuries wanted to return home with a memento of this strange land. The small and portable snuff bottle was the perfect curio to bring back. Right into the 20th century, foreigners acquired huge numbers of Chinese snuff bottles that can now be found in countless private and museum collections in Europe and America.
A fair number of snuff bottles were produced in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912) in response to the Western demand for all things Oriental and also for the Chinese market. The snuff bottles produced in Japan in the late 19th century may have been made by netsuke carvers and can exhibit original designs in Japanese style or simply be direct copies of Chinese snuff bottles. Many Japanese copies have an incised mark of Chinese Emperor Qianlong on the base.
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