Inkplay in microcosm. Inside-painted Chinese snuff bottles. The Humphrey K.F. Hui collection. Catalogue of an exhibition at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, 2002.

Ecke bestossen, sonst gutes Exemplar. - In Chinese and English. - With the introduction of snuff to China during the late Ming period, snuff taking became a nation-wide habit, especially among the Manchus in Qing times. Small bottles used for storing the powdered snuff became a popular product. Known for their rich varieties of media, diversified shapes and exquisite craftsmanship, Qing snuff bottles are regarded as an epitome of all applied arts. Although the Qing court fell into decline after the Jiaqing and the Daoguang reigns, inside-painted snuff bottles registered extraordinary ingenuity by dexterously integrating the classical art of Chinese painting and calligraphy with the craft. Snuff bottles were elevated from functional containers to an interesting and long-lasting miniature art form that perpetuates into modern days. Inkplay in Microcosm is a sequel of Imperial Connection, which was published in 1998. The comprehensive selection of 156 inside-painted snuff bottles are works of 31 artists, spanning from the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty to the Republic. It reveals to the reader a continued visual development of a unique art form in the past hundred years. ISBN 9789627101628