Inner painting

Inner painting (simplified Chinese: 内画; traditional Chinese: 內畫; pinyin: nèihuà), also known as inner drawing or inside painted, is a Chinese art form.

The earliest inside painted bottles are thought to have been made in the period between 1820 and 1830 as, by then, the beauty of a snuff bottle was probably more important than utilitarian considerations—and considering this—few would have been used for holding snuff.

Concentration is crucial to make precise strokes.

A skilled artist may complete a simple bottle in a week while something special may take a month or more.

The best craftsmen may produce only a few bottles in a year.