內畫鼻煙壺：方寸之間見天地
內畫鼻煙壺，中國特色傳統手工藝品。
The inside-painted snuff bottle is a handicraft with elements from Chinese traditions.
17世紀，鼻煙流行于歐洲，明末清初傳入中國，當時的容器主要是鼻煙盒，隨後才有了獨具中國風格的鼻煙壺，以水晶、琉璃、琥珀等材質居多。如今，人們嗜用鼻煙的習慣幾近絕跡，但鼻煙壺卻作為一種精美、袖珍的藝術品流傳下來，關鍵因素就是內畫藝術。
Snuff was popular in Europe in the 17th century. It was introduced in China in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. At that time, snuff bottles mainly acted as containers for smokeless tobacco. In Chinese hands, however, they turned into delicate expressions of art. Artists used see-through materials such as crystal, glass and amber to paint them from the inside. Today, snuff as a habit is all but gone in the country, yet snuff bottles are prized as exquisite souvenirs and collectors’ items. It is the inside painting technique that has lent the pocket art such popularity.
內畫有別於外畫，其一，作畫順序相反，內壁要反著書畫；其二，繪畫角度單一，只能在壺口入筆作畫，壺口小限制操作，作畫時又不容易看到筆的位置，所以非常考驗內畫大師的藝術功底。（字幕：內畫——國家級非物質文化遺産）
Inside painting is different from painting on the outside. To begin with, the entire procedure is in reverse. First, the brush has to move in opposite direction of the painter’s sight. The other challenge is the narrow opening of the bottles, it requires special brushes. For the artist, it is difficult to see the position of the pen while painting, so it is a true test of one’s artistic ability and patience. (subtitle: Inside Painting - National Intangible Cultural Heritage)
藝術家作畫時，要凝神靜氣，將力道完全集中在手腕之上。最重要的是，落筆無悔，要求一次完成，不然一個小小的瑕疵都可能導致整個作品從頭再來。
When an artist paints, he should keep his breath steady and wrist strong. The most important thing is to paint without errors. One wrong stroke will result in the rinsing of the entire work and the artist has to start from the beginning again.
鼻煙壺內畫以中國畫為基礎，承襲了國畫的精髓，中國故事、中國山水、中國人文……在鼻煙壺的方寸之間展現得淋漓盡致。其中被大眾熟知的京派鼻煙壺歷史最久遠，後期延伸出冀派、魯派、粵派等各具特色的幾大流派。
Snuff bottle inside painting borrows from traditional Chinese painting and depicts the same elements of Chinese folktales, Chinese landscape, humanities and culture. The Beijing school snuff bottle has had a long tradition and enjoys immense popularity. Today Hebei school, Shandong school, Guangdong school etc have given the art their own unique touch.
京派大師一般文學藝術修養較高，多以傳統題材、歷史故事為主，用色古樸，結構嚴謹，給人以高雅獨特的藝術享受；冀派以人物肖像見長，形神兼備，特別是嬰戲圖和百子圖最能反映冀派內畫鼻煙壺的藝術特點；魯派最有特色的是能夠利用瓷器上用的釉彩作畫，然後，烘燒形成內畫鼻煙壺的瓷釉畫，即使盛水畫面也毫不受損；目前，最年輕的派系當屬粵派，以艷麗的色彩和裝飾風格著稱於世。
Beijing school masters generally have high literary and artistic skills. They mainly focus on traditional themes and historical stories. They use simple colors with rigor, providing elegant and unique artistic enjoyment. Portraits are the defining characteristic of the Hebei school. In particular, they portray babies. The most distinctive feature of the Shandong school is that it uses glaze color on porcelain to draw, and then bakes it to form the enamel painting of snuff bottle, which won’t get damaged easily, it can withstand water as well. The youngest school is the Guangdong faction, famous for its gorgeous colors and decorative styles.
一支筆、一把壺，方寸之間藏著萬千景象，凝聚著中國藝術的匠人精神和魅力創意。如今，在鼻煙壺愛好者們分享的視頻裏，還出現了瑪麗蓮·夢露、鄧布利多，海外網友更覺得親切，用不同語言表達著驚嘆和讚美。
Each square inch of a snuff bottle hides the painstaking labour that goes into it. It’s the craftsman’s spirit and charm of the Chinese art that are visible in the finished product. Fancy a snuff bottle with Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe on it? How about Dumbledore, the gentle headmaster of the Potter-verse? A heady mix of pop culture and art is taking the snuff bottle universe by storm and expanding its popularity online.
