be divided into the old and the contemporary inside painting in the market. The old inside paintings include four great masters in the Qing Dynasty, Ma Shaoxuan, Ye Zhongsan, Ding Erzhong and Zhou Leyuan. The contemporary inner painting snuff bottles comprise the direct disciple headed by Master Wang Xisan, and well-known artists of the other three schools, such as Liu Shouben, Li Kechang, Wu Songling, etc., are all first-class masters who earned the title of Chinese arts and crafts issued by China authority. Snuff bottles made of other materials in the European and American markets is relatively high in value. Due to the historical nature, the old snuff bottle tends to against the devaluation. Western collectors have more recognition of the old ones. For example, the price of a work by Ma Shaoxuan's at Christie's Hong Kong auction in 2004 was sold in US$22,000 around. The work of Ding Erzhong in Sotheby's autumn auction in 2010 in New York was sold for US$170,500. By contrast, the marketability and value of contemporary interior-painted snuff bottles are still being verified. European and American collectors are also holding a wait-and-see attitude. The market is not yet transparent. However, the Chinese arts and crafts masters of contemporary painters have begun to show significant growth. For example, in 2010, Zhang Guangqing's works were sold at the Beijing Hanhai auction for US$176,640 around; at the same auction. Wang Xisan's works were sold for US$178,230 around. Modern interior-painted snuff bottles are still ongoing in a state of progress, just like conceptual art that is constantly evolving. In the future, contemporary interior-painted snuff bottles can genuinely develop their path and find the niches in the market. Snuff bullet In recent years a popular method of snuff insufflation has been the snuff bullet. A simple snuff bullet consists of a small bottle with a plug in the base, a rotatable "dosing chamber" and a hole on the top. More advanced snuff bullets have variable dosing settings. They can be made of plastic, glass or metal. Notes Further reading The Collector's Book of Snuff Bottles by Bob C. Stevens Chinese Snuff Bottles: The Adventures and Studies of a Collector by Lilla S. Perry The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat Collection of Snuff Bottles Chinese Snuff Bottles: Masterpieces in Miniature by Eric J. Hoffman Wolfmar Zacken: 97 Chinesische Snuff Bottles aus China. Edition Galerie Zacke 1985 External links Weekly journals on