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During the Qianlong period, the southern port of Guangzhou (formerly
known as Canton) was the main interface in trade between Europe
and China. Influenced by European painted enamels and oil paintings,
local Cantonese craftsmen began producing a large number of painted
enamel wares depicting foreign flowers, architecture and Western
figures for tribute to the Imperial court in Beijing. See Tributes from
Guangdong to the Qing Court, Hong Kong, 1987, pp.54 and 88.

Compare Qianlong period snuff bottles depicting similar themes and
motifs of European women and children, illustrated in The Complete
Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Snuff Bottles, Hong
Kong, 2003, pl.165. See also H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, The
Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, New York, 1993, pp.276-282; and
also H.Moss, V.Graham and K.B.Tsang, A Treasury of Chinese Snuff
Bottles: The Mary and George Bloch Collection, vol.6 part 1, Hong
Kong, 2008, pp.152-160. A painted enamel snuff bottle with European
figures and with a very similar Qianlong four-character mark within
a square border is illustrated in Snuff Bottles in the Collection of the
National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1992, pl.14.