During the reign of the Qing dynasty's Kangxi Emperor (1662-1723), an atelier was established at the palace to produce glassware for use at court. Later, under the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1796) missionaries from the West introduced new techniques which, in the hands of local craftsmen, raised glass art in China to its highest level and led to the development of an exquisite new form: the decorative snuff bottle.
清代康熙年間，宮中成立玻璃作坊，專門製作皇室玻璃用品，乾隆時候，藉著西方傳教士引入的西洋技法，結合中國工匠的東方美感，小巧多姿的鼻煙壺開展了中國琉璃最精彩的一頁。