AN AVENTURINE GLASS 'LINGZHI' PENDANT, IMPERIAL GLASS WORKSHOPS BEIJING, QIANLONG PERIOD China, 1741-1795 (the production of aventurine glass started only in 1741, see note below). Finely carved in the form of a lingzhi, curled at the sides and with a stem, gently curved raised lines neatly incised at the top, the reverse with two apertures drilled for suspension. The material of a lustrous caramel-brown tone with gold speckles.

Provenance: New York trade.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, few minuscule chips and nibbles.

Weight: 21.5 g
Dimensions: Length 4 cm

Aventurine glass, which was made by dissolving copper particles into molten glass, was invented by the Venetian glass makers of Murano. It was introduced to China during the Kangxi reign (1662-1722) and immediately caught the imagination of the Qing court. Moss, Graham and Tsang illustrate an aventurine glass snuff bottle from the J&J collection and discuss in detail the introduction from Venice to Beijing and subsequent use of this material in The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, the J&J Collection, volume II, New York, pages 572 and 573. They write that 'Yang Boda has recorded that in the fifth year of the Qianlong period (1740), two Jesuits joined the Court at Beijing to assist Pierre D'Incarville and Gabriel-Leonard de Broussard in the glass-making, and that in the following year (1741) they produced aventurine glass' (Yang Boda, A Brief Account of Qing Dynasty Glass, Chinese Glass of the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911, The Robert H. Clague Collection, page 79).

The present lot is exceptionally rare and no other similar example would appear to have been published. It displays one of the many playful variants of Qing dynasty Imperial craftsmanship, by imitating one material using another. This was done with characteristic Qing opulence, adding a distinct sparkle to the material.

Literature comparison:
Compare several aventurine glass scholar's objects in the Qing Court Collection, Beijing, and illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Small Refined Articles of the Study, Shanghai, 2009. All are dated to the Qianlong period and include a small lotus leaf-form ink palette or brush washer, no. 119; an ink rest, no. 128; a combination pomegranate-shaped water container and finger citron-shaped vase, no. 202; and a carving of three rams amidst rocks symbolizing the auspicious beginning of the New Year, which has a Qianlong seal mark, no. 319.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 2 November 2021, lot 67
Price: GBP 17,750 or approx. EUR 22,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare aventurine glass 'leaf and grapevine' ink palette, Qianlong
Expert remark: Compare the color and sparkle of the material as well as the naturalistic subject matter. Note the larger size (8.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 16 March 2016, lot 457
Price: USD 6,250 or approx. EUR 7,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved aventurine glass snuff bottle, imperial, palace workshops, Beijing, 1750-1800


乾隆時期御製金星玻璃靈芝佩
中國，1741-1795年 (金星玻璃始於1741年，見注釋)。靈芝精雕細刻，兩側捲曲，有莖，頂部線條平緩彎曲凸起，背面有兩個孔用以懸掛。有光澤的蜜棕色料，帶有金色斑點。

來源：紐約古玩交易市場。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微的磨損，微小的磕損和刻痕。

重量：21.5克
尺寸：長4厘米

金星玻璃是通過將銅顆粒溶解到玻璃中製成的，由威尼斯穆拉諾的玻璃匠發明的。它在康熙年間（1662-1722）傳入中國，立即引起了清廷的注意。Moss、Graham和Tsang曾在J&J收藏中展示了金星玻璃鼻煙壺，並在《The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, the J&J Collection,》第二卷（第572和573頁，紐約），詳細討論了從威尼斯到北京以及隨後對該材料的使用。他們寫道，“楊伯達記載，乾隆五年（1740年），兩名耶穌會士在北京加入朝廷，協助Pierre D'Incarville與Gabriel-Leonard de Broussard製作玻璃，並於次年（1741年）生產了金星玻璃”（楊伯達，《清代玻璃概述》，1644-1911年清代的中國玻璃，羅伯特·H·克拉格收藏，第79頁）。

金星玻璃是通過將銅顆粒溶解到玻璃中製成的，由威尼斯穆拉諾的玻璃匠發明的。它在康熙年間（1662-1722）傳入中國，立即引起了清廷的注意。Moss、Graham和Tsang曾在J&J收藏中展示了金星玻璃鼻煙壺，並在《The Art of the Chinese Snuff Bottle, the J&J Collection,》第二卷（第572和573頁，紐約），詳細討論了從威尼斯到北京以及隨後對該材料的使用。他們寫道，“楊伯達記載，乾隆五年（1740年），兩名耶穌會士在北京加入朝廷，協助Pierre D'Incarville與Gabriel-Leonard de Broussard製作玻璃，並於次年（1741年）生產了金星玻璃”（楊伯達，《清代玻璃概述》，1644-1911年清代的中國玻璃，羅伯特·H·克拉格收藏，第79頁）。

本拍品極為罕見，似乎沒有其他類似的已經出版的例子，通過模仿一種材料使用另一種材料，展示了清代皇家工藝的精湛之處。

文獻比較：
比較北京清宮藏品中的幾件金星玻璃文房四寶，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集‧文房四寶》，上海，2009年。這幾件作品皆為乾隆時期的作品，包括小荷葉形的筆掭或筆洗，編號119；墨床，編號128；石榴形水容器和佛手花瓶組，編號202；以及乾隆款象徵新年吉祥的岩石中的三隻公羊雕刻，編號319。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2021年11月2日，lot 67
價格：GBP 17,750（相當於今日EUR 22,000）
描述：清乾隆金星玻璃葡萄葉式筆掭
專家評論：比較材料的顏色和金色斑點，以及取自大自然的主題。請注意較大的尺寸 (8.5厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2016年3月16日，lot 457
價格：USD 6,250（相當於今日EUR 7,300）
描述：1750-1800北京御製金星玻璃鼻煙壺