Page 17 - Fine Chinese, Japanese and Buddhist Art September 28, 2018 Galerie Zacke

etching techniques. While the designs themselves might
look clumsy to the novice, they are unequivocally at
their earliest stages of development, thus narrowing the
possible dating of this piece to a period from 1696-1715.
The intense sapphire-blue color of the cup, which is a
typical color used in very early works of Imperial Glass
Works of Beijing, only adds further to this assumption.
For a comprehensive discussion on the Imperial
glassworks, see E. Byrne Curtis, ‘Chinese Glass and the
Vatican Records’, Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic
Society, 1992-93, vol. 57, pp. 49-58.
Shape: Sprawling cup, the sides slightly convex, the lip
slanted, the edges rounded
Weight: 140,3 grams
Dimensions: 6,3 x 6,3 x 5,8 cm
Condition: Good condition with old wear, few small
manufacturing flaws, one nick to lip polished, some very
minor nibbling, some tiny air bubbles
Provenance: United Kingdom private collection

Literature comparison: Compare with three clear vessels,
all unmarked and dated to the Kangxi period: a dish
from the collection of Walter and Phyllis Shorenstein;
and a pair of cups in The Corning Museum of Glass,
New York, included in the China Institute of America
Exhibition catalogue Clear as Crystal, Red as Flame, New
York, 1990, pls. 10 and 11. An etched bowl dated to the 6
late 17th century, formerly from the K.R. Malcolm, and A FIVE-COLOR OVERLAY ‘PEONY’ GLASS VASE,
Professor and Mrs. Plesh collections, was sold at Christies, TONGZHI MARK AND OF THE PERIOD
16 November 1998, lot 291, and is illustrated in Elegance The translucent overlay carved in high relief above an
and Radiance, Grandeur in Qing Glass, the Andrew K.F. opaque white ground
Lee Collection, The University of Hong Kong, 2000, p. China, the base with an incised four-character Tongzhi
262, no. 96. seal-mark and of the period (1862-1873)

⹟䅁⸜攻溆搥⮞䞛啵䍣䐫㜗炻1696-1715⸜ The baluster-shaped vase is applied with overlays in
㕡⼊⮞䞛啵䍣䐫㜗炻ℏ⣿䵈㜦刚㕁炻⢾⚵䱦ⶏ溆搥姕妰 transparent sapphire-blue, emerald-green, dusky pink,
ᷕ⚳炻⹟䅁㗪㛇炻1696-1715⸜ lemon-yellow and ruby-red as birds and butterflies in
⑩䚠列⤥ flight above leafy peonies springing from craggy layered
劙⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷 rocks, all in stark contrast to the white ground. Raised
and flattened round foot rim. Hongmu base. (2)
5 EstimateġEUR 400,-
AN ETCHED AND DIAMOND-ENGRAVED SAPPHIRE-BLUE OVERLAY GLASS CUP, Starting price EUR 200,- Shape: Baluster
KANGXI, 1696-1715 Weight: 1089 grams
The square-shaped sweeping cup is made of sapphire-blue glass, with the inside Dimensions: Height 23 cm
completely covered in a very thin, turquoise-blue overlay, and the outside with an etched Condition: Some open air-bubbles, several tiny nicks, one
and neatly diamond-point engraved design chip to lip
China, Kangxi period, 1696-1715 Provenance: French private collection

The four sides delicately etched and engraved to depict four square reserves, each with Literature comparison: S Marchant & Son, The Hope
precious objects such as a double gourd, a gu vase with a ruyi scepter inside, a fang ding Danby Collection of Chinese Glass, London 1999. (for
bronze, a ding vessel, a large basket and many more, all below an wheel-cut band of an interesting overview about glass vases from the Qing
floral and foliage scrolls. dynasty)

Engraving of this type was introduced to the Imperial workshops by the German Jesuit Auction result comparison: FINE CHINESE CERAMICS
missionary, Kilan Stumpf. In 1696, Emperor Kangxi appointed Stumpf to supervise the AND WORKS OF ART. Sotheby’s, 08 OCTOBER 2013,
establishment of Imperial glass workshops with the help of craftsmen drafted from HONG KONG, lot 3306. (for comparison with a similarly
glass-making centres in Yanshan and Guangzhou. Stumpf was renowned for his glass- incised mark) Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of
making and enameling skills, and contributed to the Chinese glass-making tradition, the Art. Christies, Hong Kong, 26 November 2014, lot 3374.
German technique of wheel-cutting and in particular diamond-point engraving. (for a pair of five-color overly vases from the 19 century)
th
When studying this superb cup, it becomes evident that this was not only designed to ġ
serve a later purpose as a cup, a washer or even a small brush pot, but in the first place ⎴㱣⸜墥Ḽ刚⣿㕁ȿ刵喍剙ȿ㡺㥴䒞
as training-object for the craftsmen working under the supervision of Kilian Stump Ḽ⼑⣿㕁㴖晽⛐䘥⸽䒞幓ᶲ炻⸽悐⌘㚱ȿ⎴㱣⸜墥ȿ
during the early 1700s. The number of early European glass-making techniques applied ᷕ⚳炻⎴㱣⸜攻ġĩ1862-1874⸜Ī
to this tiny masterpiece is so large, that is seems almost impossible that they all have ⑩䚠列⤥
been executed to perfection: The ingenious shape of the glass body with its slanted 㱽⚳䥩Ṣ㓞啷
lips, rounded edges, sprawling form, convex sides, slightly domed base and a an inside
overlay of less than 1 millimeter (!!) thickness, applied with not the slightest default. EstimateġEUR 500,-
On top of that comes the décor, skillfully created using diamond-point engraving and Starting price EUR 250,-

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