The
individual snuff bottle or glass ball is made of cast glass. The centers are
hollow and roughed up so that the paint will adhere properly.Ad clocks are cast glass that is cut into the rough shape and then hand ground and buffed into their finished shapes.
The artist then uses delicate hooked shaped brushes to paint the images through the opening of the bottles. Unlike traditional painting techniques, where the artist starts with the background and builds outward, the inner painting artist must paint the foreground first. These talented artist must study for many years before they can obtain master status.
