Octagonal Glass Enamel Snuff Bottle

The octagonal bottle has raised circular panels on each side, each painted with a bust portrait of a Western lady. The base is incised with a mark reading ‘Made in the Qianlong period’.

Painted enamel originated in Europe in the mid-fifteenth century and was introduced to China via Guangzhou around the end of the seventeenth century. By the late Kangxi reign, the Qing palace workshops had mastered this technique and adapted it from copper to a glass substrate. Because the melting points of glass and enamel are similar, firing glass enamels was extremely difficult; thus, surviving examples – mostly snuff bottles – are rare. During the Qianlong period, the art of painted enamels reached its peak, often featuring Western landscapes and figures. Their realistic modelling and sense of depth clearly reveal the influence of European painting.