Skip to main content
Advanced Search
bottle
bottle

bottle

Translation藍色透明玻璃瓶
Object NameVase
Manufacturer Imperial Workshops (China)
Made FromGlass
Date1736-1795
Place MadeChina, Beijing
TechniqueMold-blown, cold-worked
SizeOverall H: 23.5 cm, Diam (max): 11.1 cm
Accession Number2019.6.2
Curatorial Area(s)
Not On View
Interpretive Notes
Monochromatic glass appears simple, but it requires advanced technical knowledge. The formula for this deep blue glass, colored using cobalt, was one of the first created after the establishment of the imperial glasshouse in 1696, but was only perfected 50 years later, under the Qianlong emperor. The blue tone evokes cobalt-blue porcelain vessels created under the preceding Ming dynasty, which were used for imperial offerings to the sky.
Physical DescriptionVase (藍色透明玻璃瓶). Cobalt blue glass; mold-blown, cold-worked. The body rises at a steep angle from the narrow foot before rounding inward at the broad shoulder and culminating in a tall cylindrical neck, thick-walled cobalt blue, base with a wheel-cut four-character reign mark “乾隆年制 Qianlong nianzhi (made in the Qianlong period 1736-1795)”, within a double square.
Provenance
Source Sotheby's - 2019-05-29
Both vases [2019.6.1 and 2019.6.2] were formerly the property of an English dealer resident in France and were purchased by that owner at a French auction in 2017 or 2018. They were subsequently sold to a UK private collector in March 2018. Both vases were offered for sale at a Sotheby's New York auction on March 2019 but did not sell, and were subsequently acquired by the Museum.

There are no works to discover for this record.