Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 9. (Budapest, 1966)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Polonyi, Péter: Some Inside-Painted Chinese Snuff Bottles

APPENDIX L Ü C H' I : THE I N S I DE - PAINTED VASE „LÜHS IN G C H IA (, T HE TO U RIS T") 1956/8 p. 45. Peking • In addition to coal mining, iron working, ceramics and silk weaving, a most interesting branch of applied arts was practised in Liupo, Shantung : the manufacturing of inside-painted vases, equally renowned at home and abroad.

a The height of the largest inside-painted vases is more than a foot, while the smallest ones are of the size of a nut; minutely painted landscapes, human figures, flowers, birds, etc. can be seen inside, following the impressive style of national painting. According to tradition, the inside-painted vases were invited by Chou Lo-yüan, a painter working in that style, in the Hsien-feng years of the dynasty Ching (1851 — 1861 — P. P.) in Peking; in those times they were made mainly for the Manchus, and five Hang of silver had to be paid for one.

b Twenty years later a Poshan businessman named Wang brought an inside-painted vase from Peking and giving it to his countrymen, asked them to study it and try to paint it. A Poshan painter working in the style of national painting, master Hua Lungchiu, succeeded after many years of research work in getting acquainted with this branch of art. Later, master Hua rubbed the inside of the vase with irondust, so that it became white, and still more beautiful.

0 Anyone who wants to make inside-painted vases must know the art of national painting, but it is by no means certain that he who is familiar with national painting will be also able to make inside-painted vases. These vases are painted with extremely thin bamboo sticks which are moistened with colour and then put in through the orifice that is of the size of a pea, so that the vase can be painted from inside. This craft is not easy to be learned and Chang Wen-t'ang was the only one of the three apprentices of Master Hua Lung-chiu who succeeded. This year Chang Wen-t'ang will be 72 years old and is painting inside-painted vases for fifty years. His landscapes are very famous: ,,Lonely fisher on the snow of the cold river", ,,The wind waves an inn-sign next to the water of a mountain village", and so are his pictures of birds and flowers, ,,Cricket freezing on the autumn willow", ,,Rich and noble with grey head". Actually there are not more than five or six persons who know how to make insidepainted vases; next to Chang Wen t'ang, 64 year old Master Hsüeh Ching-wan

d is the best painter. All of them have joined the co-operative and enjoy the care and appreciation of the Party and the Government. At the time being the competent organs are precisely engaged in enacting measures resulting in the survival of this art. Most of the inside-painted vases are sold in Tibet, Inner Mongolia

e and other regions inhabited by national minorities, while the rest is turned to account abroad. a

) As shown by the annexed photos — which are unfortunately not to be reproduced on account of their quality — these are really vases and not bottles. Two have long necks and become wider above, two others are smaller but their shape is unlike that of earlier bottles, and they have no stopper. b

) Equivalent of 6.40 US $ of those times. c

) This is how he probably wanted to imitate etching which he did not know. d) He may be identical with Hsüeh Shao-fu mentioned by Cammann HJAS p. 326. and OA p. 89. e) Its occurrence in Inner Mongolia is also mentioned by Cammann, HJAS pp. 325 — 326.