Chinese and Japanese works of art were often adapted to suit Western tastes. The unusual form of these Chinese flasks has apparently been copied from 'Spa water' glass bottles made for Spa, a town near Liège in Belgium. Painted on the front of each is a landscape with a European church, its steeple topped by a cross. These flasks are among the earliest on which a Christian church and cross are represented. Dutch square silver mounts have been added to each neck to make the pieces even more appealing to Western buyers.