The paintings depicted include: fan with fish after Si Mazhong (early Qing painter); handscroll with bird after Nan Tian (early Qing painter); and two calligraphy panels after Pan Zhuyin (late Qing calligrapher)

A very similar bottle, dated to 1899, sold Sotheby's, Fine Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Mrs. Elmer A. Claar, Part Two, New York, February 20, 1970, lot 204. For another see Sotheby's, Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Eric Young, Part II, London, October 13, 1987, lot 148

For other examples of similar type by Ma Shaoxuan see Hugh M. Moss, Snuff Bottles of China, p. 237, no. 828, and also Sotheby's, Fine and Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Collection of Bob C. Stevens, Part III, New York, June 25, 1982, lot 227; Sotheby's, Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles, London, June 7, 1990, lot 73; Sotheby's, Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Kaynes-Klitz Collection, Part II, Hong Kong, October 30, 1990, lot 139; Sotheby's, Fine Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Arthur Gadsby Collection, Hong Kong, November 2, 1978, lot 33; John Gilmore Ford, Chinese Snuff Bottles, The Edward Choate O'Dell Collection, no. 185

For an example using parts of the same calligraphy and varying disposition of the paintings on one side and the calligraphy of the celebrated Wang Zhizhi on the reverse, see Sotheby's, Important Chinese Snuff Bottles from the Kardos Collection, New York, July 1, 1985, lot 143, formerly in the Albert Pyke Collection