Yixing in Jiangsu province gives its name to this distinctive stoneware. In production for nearly a thousand years in the same place, Yixing wares only came into artistic prominence in the later Ming dynasty, when it was adopted by the scholar class as a suitable material for teapots and thence for other items for the scholar's studio. In snuff bottles, slip-decorated wares form quite a considerable portion of the known output. Slip is simply a watered-down version of whatever ceramic is being used, which can be applied like a thick paint or used for gluing segments together. Here, and in many such examples, it is also incised with a sharp point to lend detail and texture to larger areas.

The present bottle is one of the most striking from the group, with its rare combination of decorative methods, unusual and effective shape, and precise dating. Shaoshan was the art name of the famous Ming dynasty potter Shi Dabin. In the case of the bottle's maker, it was probably adopted as a reference to him out of respect, or even as an independent art name.