Antique Inside Painted Snuff Bottle Dedicated to Actor Mei Lanfang

The clear glass snuff bottle has a flatten globular shape that tapers to a raised oval foot. The dark purple overlay has two well defined bats (symbol for good luck) running down the sides. The stopper is a dark green glass on a black disk, and no spoon.

What makes this bottle special is its dedication to the Peking Opera Icon Mei Lanfang (1894-1961.) Mei was known for his female roles in dramas. His voice and his hand gestures and physical attributes have not been surpassed and he remained as one of the four top female lead actor in the Peking Opera. The bottle is dated 16 years of the Chinese Republic – 1928. The dedication to Mei Lanfang is on one side of the bottle. An illustration of a famous drama where Mei played the female heroine is on the other.

Although I have never met Mei Lanfang, his name was often mentioned in my childhood in Hong Kong. My Great Grandfather Ho Komtong, who was known for his philanthropy had appeared with Mei Lanfang in Perking Opera presentations in Hong Kong in order to raise funds for victims of natural disasters that plagued China in the first quarter of the 20th century.