Images(2)

ceremonial costume

Translation玻璃朝珠

Object NameCeremonial Court Chain

Artist Imperial Workshops (China)

Made FromGlass, Turquois, Coral, Crystal, Fabric, Ivory

Date1800-1899

Place MadeChina, Beijing

TechniqueBeadmaking, assembled

SizeOverall L: 71 cm; Blue Beads Diam: 1 cm; Pink Beads Diam: 2 cm

Accession Number51.6.293

Curatorial Area(s)

Exhibitions

Life on a String: 35 Centuries of the Glass Bead

Exhibition of East Asiatic Glass

Not On View

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

Court beads were inspired by Buddhist prayer beads and worn by members of the Qing administration. Their color combinations indicated rank and status. You may find it interesting that the emperor wore court beads made up of glass and gemstones, suggesting that glass was not seen as a poor substitute for precious stones, but as a material prized on its own.

Physical DescriptionCeremonial Court Chain (玻璃朝珠). Light blue glass beads, turquois, coral, pink crystal, red and grey blue fabric, white ivory; beadmaking and assembled. The chain: (a) 108 spherical blue beads, alternating with small flat discs of ivory; (b) three large crackled pink beads (should be four) flanked by lotus leaf forms of green turquois; (c) three (should be four) pendant chains of one perforated disc, three large crackled spherical pink crystal beads (originally ten), units of tiny white beads simulating pearls; four green jadeite (?) pendants with gilt caps; (d) four slender tubular forms of stitchery in red and white interspersed with openwork discs; (e) a long, central blue ribbon connecting one three-lobed colorless glass bead, bands of red and white stitchery with swastika motif, one large oval, green jadeite form flanked by half-beads of coral and a green jadeite pendant with gilt cap.
Provenance

Source Nellie B. Hussey - 1951