Mallet-shaped blue vase, Qianlong period (1736–1795)
Blue glass, mould blown, base evenly cut
(H x Ø)19,8 x 10,6 cm
About the workOriginals from the imperial glassworks in China are extremely rare – this vase could be one. Although glass was used in ancient times to imitate jade, China’s own glass production fell into oblivion. Jesuit missionaries from Europe reintroduced it to the palace workshops in Beijing towards the end of the seventeenth century. It seems that the Jesuit Gabriel-Léonard de Broussard first produced translucent blue glass there in 1741. Adopted from ceramics, the “horse’s hoof” or “hand bell” shape of vase was popular in China around this period.
AccessionGift of Helmut Hentrich 1965
Inventory numberP 1965-419
