Two-colour carved Beijing glass vase
Qianlong mark and period, 1736 – 1795
Height: 18.8 cm | 7 3/8 in
Click image for full-size version
Bright blue translucent and finely polished glass is carved through to reveal an opaque milky-white glass ground – in the tao liao (cameo glass) technique that was perfected during Qianlong’s reign. This was an era when glassmaking prospered – the Emperor promoting its manufacture at the Imperial workshops that originated in Kangxi’s reign.
Within two decorative panels on the bulbous body, the overlaid glass depicts phoenix and peonies in one scene, and a pair of mandarin ducks by a lotus pond, in the other. Lingzhi heads (symbols of good fortune) are carved around the outer rim of a gently flaring mouth, upright plantain leaves form a collar around the neck, and upright lappets border the circular foot. The base is incised with a wheel-cut four-character reign mark of the period.
Similar examples: Zhongguo jinying poli falanqi quanji volume 4, Shijiazhuang, 2004 – plate 267 illustrates a Qianlong bottle vase decorated with blue overlay, in the Palace Museum, Beijing.
Elegance and Radiance, The Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000 – catalogue no. 188 illustrates a vessel with scrolling floral decoration and a similar collar of upright leaves.
Luster of Autumn Water, Glass of the Qing Imperial Workshop, compiled by Zhang Rong, and published by Forbidden City Publishing House, Beijing, 2005 – plate 68 illustrates a vase with blue overlay, from the Qing Court collection, with a four-character Qianlong reign mark; and plate 72 – a set of five glass vessels overlaid with a blue glass floral motif.
|
