Qing dynasty inside-painted glass landscape snuff bottle by Ding Erzhong

This fine snuff bottle is a quintessential example of the inside-painted glass technique, a highly specialized art form of the Qing dynasty. Created by the renowned artist and seal carver Ding Erzhong (1865–1935), this vessel features a rectangular, flattened body with a straight neck and an oval foot rim.

The bottle is crafted from clear, transparent glass, which serves as a delicate canvas for miniature paintings executed on the interior surface. One side depicts an expansive landscape scene featuring towering trees, quiet huts, and boats drifting on a river, with layers of mountains fading into the distance beneath a rising sun. The reverse side displays a scholarly still life of gnarled rocks and flowers in a vase, emphasizing a refined, minimalist aesthetic.

The bottle is signed and inscribed with the date 1895 (the autumn of the Yiwei year) and indicates that the artist followed the stylistic methods of the Ming dynasty master Shen Zhou. This piece reflects the artist's esteemed status as one of the 'Four Great Masters of Inside-Painting' of the late Qing period.