Scholar Object : Vintage Canton Enamel Ink BoxThe technique of firing colorful enamels on copperwares, an art form that was developed near Limoges, France around CE 1470, was first introduced to Cantonese artisans by French Missionaries or merchants sometime in the Ming Dynasty (CE 1368 to 1644.) Canton was located on the estuary of the Pearl River, it was the major seaport of the southern sea routes. The Cantonese craftsmen perfected this technique and Cantonese enamels were sent as Tribute

one is a bat

Each magpie is imbued with spirit as they flutter around the bottle

bought jade stones which literally look like any nugget or rock

The first known records of mountains  in Chinese art appeared on the cave paintings of the Buddhist's Western Paradise

1 inch deep

Dating: first half of 20th century

It is matched with a similar glass cover encased in brass with a short brass spoon

On the other side

a feature that showed the bottle was made with great care

It is a joy to see a snuff bottle that followed the tradition of overlapping mountains

Date: circa 1900's

late Qing Dynasty to early Chinese Republic