Paul Reny Antiques & Collectibles

Antique Lamps – Peking Glass

In our modern world, glass is part of everyday life, but not always so.

The elegant atmosphere ethereal known as "crystal" is simple and consists mainly of sand or silica and a flow of sodium or potassium. These elements fuse and when melted to a very high temperature, resulting in the product easy to recognize as crystal.

The glass is an old invention, having been produced during 5000 years and especially since the development of techniques in the 18th century. The glass manufacturers first have been found in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia 5000 years ago, with examples of this crystal that survive. At that time, was considered a very exotic, the study showed that the simple techniques used have been kept secret by the former artisans.

The first glass bottles and jars were very rude produced by molding the basic form of mud. The form is based was organized by the insertion of short metal rod shaped at one end and dipped into molten glass and forming the "nucleus" of a ball. Long son of molten glass, called "sticks" were wrapped around this basic form until the vial or jar was full.

Before his fall, Egypt had a monopoly of training crystals of the known world. When the Romans invaded Egypt, quickly adopted the glass-making secrets discovered. It was, in fact, the Romans continued the development of glass, with the introduction of glass blowing, around the 1st century BC. In this evolution of Roman glass that led to the production of glass in the world West.

Meanwhile, the Chinese had discovered the glass in ancient China, has been attributed to special properties such as the ability to ward off evil spirits. Also believed to have healing properties associated with precious stones and crystals, however, before the 17th century, the Chinese have found little use for this product. It should be noted that until the 19th century architecture in the world of little glass used in windows with sheets of transparent promotion of China. was no crystals needed for storage, due to China, highly developed and perfected the manufacture of the porcelain.

So China has been the production glass from around 700 BC, with glass of various workshops operating throughout the country, most of these workshops with small random outputs, were of short duration. It is also clear that the crystal was not assessed until the late imperial sponsorship of the 17th century with Emperor Kang Xi (1662-1722) established the first glass factory in the status of an imperial workshop in 1696. The workshop is located in the walls of the palace of the Forbidden City and was filled with the best craftsmen are in China.

Chinese glass so well known in the West as "Peking glass" was actually introduced to China from the 17th century by a German Jesuit missionary priest. The missionary oversaw the creation of the imperial workshop and provided much of Western techniques of glass and enamel to the Chinese court. Consequently, Peking glass was correctly described as a son-in "to the big family of Chinese decorative arts.

Interestingly, this was the introduction of snuff or snuff powder fine, which led to the creation Imperial Workshop. When Europeans first arrived in China, not only discovered something new and interesting, but the Chinese, also ignoring the Western world discovered new ideas in China and snuff taking was one of them!

Due to rapid growth habit of using snuff in the imperial court, and is rapidly gaining popular in high society, there were glass snuff bottles. The workshop began to produce small bottles Imperial precisely to contain tobacco or snuff to be used by the imperial family, or is Gift to the civilian and military judges of the imperial court and foreign diplomats.

A Chinese "Beijing Glass" table lamp, the lamp type thick-walled, heavy construction, which weighs just over 4 pounds / 1.8 kg. The mustard yellow color was a custom product, wood and gold ring sitting on a gold and gold-plated bronze, gold lamp with a plug-bronze plated. Circa 1900. Overall height (including shade) 22 "/ 56cm

A Chinese "Beijing Glass" glass table lamp.The type of rich cobalt blue and typical Beijing glass, heavy wall and a base weight of 4.2 kg / 2 kg.

I, the lamplight on the production of cobalt efficient light blue glass (known in the West and Bristol blue). The lamp with a round gold-plated bronze of the CAP and standing on a wooden Maple Dutch returned with burnished gold. Circa 1900 Overall height (including shade) 20 "/ 50cm

Opal These early productions were monochrome or color in particular, Imperial egg yellow yellow, ruby red and green. They were simply, or''taste''learned, friction parts are very decorative with layers of colored glass, the glass is well cut or faceted.

Overlay glass developed later. There was an element soaking in a glass bowl glass color contrasts fade. The form is cooled, which requires a period of 3 days, after which it was carved decoratively reveal the original color layer of glass. Glass sculpture is a long and tedious process, time and manpower. The final shape and polished handmade in the traditional court process methodically jade grinding and polishing.  

The Beijing crystal lamp shown is an example of the unique color and was produced by plunging into several Sometimes the form of crystal in a molten glass Cuba until the required form was then finished and polished.

Today, Beijing is glass in many forms functional and purely decorative.

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co are specialists in antique lamps with a line distance of more than 100 unique antique lamps. Lamps are supplied ready for the U.S. cable in the United Kingdom and Australia.

For more information we invite to visit their website at: —

href = "http://www.antiquelampshop.com"> www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009

About the Author

Maurice Robertson, principal of The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co , has had a lifetime’s association with antique porcelain and pottery,with his commercial experience spaning a period of 40 years,including as a valuer to the Australian Government’s Incentive to the Arts Scheme. His long experience with antique ceramics and glass also includes dealing with leading museums and numerous international private collections. He has extended his ceramics expertise into the quality table lamps seen on the company’s site, he is well known to local and international interior designers who have included many of his table lamps in their projects and has also supplied items of national interest to the official Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister.

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