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The Art of Inside-Painting

The Chinese Qing dynasty (1644-1911) saw the development of the craft we now know as inside-painting. Developed as a painting technique on the inside surface of snuff bottles, the craft was not recognised within imperial workshops until the late Qing and the early Republic periods (late 19th to the early 20th centuries); after which they became works of art amongst officials, nobles, scholars and businessmen. Gan Xuan has long been recognised as one of the early important artists of the craft having dated much of his work with cyclical dates and reign period.

The story of inside painting reads that a travelling businessman, who stopped for rest in a small temple, scratched on the inside surface of his snuff bottle in order to obtain its last remaining contents. Upon doing so, he etched on the inside surface forming a pattern. This bottle was later found by a young Monk of the temple from where the origins of inside-painting grew.