Inside-painted glass snuff bottle with landscape scene by Ma Shaoxuan, 1908
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1908
This snuff bottle is a fine example of Chinese inside-painted glassware, characterized by its rounded rectangular form and sophisticated decorative technique. Dating to 1908, the bottle is expertly painted on the interior surface, depicting a detailed mountainous landscape.
The primary scene features a boy riding a water buffalo while interacting with a figure on a riverbank. The composition is complemented by a descriptive inscription and a seal. The reverse side of the bottle is adorned with a thirty-two character inscription, which includes the cyclical date of Wushen, the artist's signature, and his seal. The bottle is capped with a vibrant pink tourmaline stopper, adding a refined contrast to the glass vessel.
Standing at approximately 6 cm in height, the piece demonstrates the intricate craftsmanship associated with the renowned artist Ma Shaoxuan. The bottle remains a highly illustrative record of early 20th-century Chinese artistic traditions, integrating calligraphy and landscape painting within the confined, challenging medium of the snuff bottle.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Height
- 6 cm
- Stopper
- pink tourmaline
- Material
- glass
Technical characteristics
- Decoration technique
- inside-painted
Design
- Obverse
- boy riding water buffalo and figure in mountainous landscape
- Reverse
- thirty-two character inscription
- Markings
- signed and sealed by Ma Shaoxuan
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- Ma Shaoxuan
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.