鼻烟壶曾是舶来品，明朝时候由意大利传教士带来中国。但是经中国传统艺术改头换面之后，其制作和绘画技术日益精致，成为身份、品味的象征。在1862年伦敦世博会和1915年巴拿马世博会上，中国的鼻烟壶都曾获得奖章。

"鼻烟壶"的英语是snuff bottle，这个是特指中国清代开始流行使用的鼻烟壶，而其西方原型被称为snuff box。

Original snuff bottles from the Qing period are a desirable target for serious collectors and museums. A good bottle has an extra quality over and above its exquisite beauty and value: that is touch. Snuff bottles were made to be held and so, as a rule, they have a wonderful tactile quality.
清代鼻烟壶是很珍贵的藏品，其珍贵之处不仅在于外形和价值，还在于其手感。鼻烟壶是被人握在手中把玩的，所以有着很细腻的质地和触感。

Snuff bottles were made out of many different materials including porcelain, jade, ivory, wood, tortoiseshell, metal and ceramic, though probably the most commonly used material was glass.
鼻烟壶有多种材质，有瓷质的，玉质的，象牙质的，木质的，龟壳质的，金属质的和陶瓷质，最普通的就是玻璃质地的。

在世博会上拿奖的是内画鼻烟壶，inside-painted snuff bottles。所谓内画，就是用特制的细笔，在鼻烟壶内手绘出精致的图画：

The class of bottle that arouses most interest  is that known as inside painted. These are glass bottles which have pictures and often calligraphy painted on the inside surface of the glass.These delightful scenes are only an inch or two high and are painted while manipulating the brush through the neck of the bottle.
鼻烟壶中人们最感兴趣的就是内画鼻烟壶，也就是在壶的内部进行绘画或者书法创作。壶内的图案只有一两尺高，是通过将画笔塞进壶嘴来进行绘制的。

内画鼻烟壶今天仍然有制作，作为一种纯粹的艺术品，鼻烟壶已经抹去了最初的实用价值。在壶内进行手绘的这门技艺，却一代代传了下来，成为传统艺术中的精粹。