A Large Antique Inside Painted Snuff Bottle

Antiques : Snuff Bottles : Inside Painted

 

How do you tell the difference between an antique inside painted bottle, and one that was made last week? After all, there are craft houses in China that produce spectacular bottles of every description today. Inside painted bottles are among the "newest" types of snuff bottles produced. These bottles began to be produced as early as the 1870s, and there may be a few out there that predate the late 19th century. In order to determine the bottle's age, we can look at the bottles signature and determine the date by the artist, or the description of the date (a complicated process on old bottles, the Chinese calendar is complex and indirect dating methods, referring to historical events, may be used.) So, how can you be sure? I like to look at the materials used to help date the bottle. This bottle is unsigned, as so many are, so I am relying on the glass bottle itself to tell the tale. First, a look at the top. It is slag glass; a dollop of glass hand formed to make a cabochon shape for a bottle top. Modern tops are mass produced and very even in color and shape, and are often made of epoxy resin plastic, which is very hard and cool like glass. A look at the bottle itself reveals a bottle that was likely blown into a small mould, but since it is hand worked, it is also full of small irregularities. The bottle is polished to produce a rounded shape, and this is also a hand done process, producing slight variations in shape. Finally, we look for surface wear; glass is a relatively soft material, and everyday handling over many years will produce tiny scratches on the surface. All of these things are present on this bottle. A look at the painting itself will not tell you much other than that it is individual hand done brush strokes (not a fake decal) and is quite attractive and colorful! Two subjects are on the bottle, a bird and foliage and a landscape. Early 20th century bottles seemed to grow in size as time passed, and this bottle is one of the early 20th C bottles of the larger size. It measures 3 1/2" tall, or almost 6.5 cm. Finally, this bottle was purchased in a lot of 14 other antique bottles as part of an estate collection. C1920.

Item ID: SN210