Ancient Chinese Glass refers to all types of glass produced in China before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). In Chinese history, glass plays a peripheral role in art and craft, when compared to ceramics and metal work. The limited distribution of archeology and the use of glass objects is evidence of material scarcity. The literary sources date the first making of glass until the 5th century. However, the earliest archaeological evidence for glass manufacture in China dates from the period of the Warring States (475 BC to 221 BC).
The Chinese learned to produce glass comparatively more slowly than the Mesopotamians, Egyptians and Indians. The first imported glass objects reached China during the late Spring and Autumn periods - early periods of the War States (early 5th century BC), in the form of polychrome 'eye beads'. This import creates a boost for the production of original glass beads.
During the Han period (206 BC to 220 AD) the use of glass is diversified. The introduction of glass casting in this period encouraged the production of printed materials, such as bi discs and other ritual objects. Chinese glass objects from the Warring States and Han Dynasties period vary greatly in the chemical composition of imported glass objects. The glasses of this period contained high levels of barium oxide (BaO) and lead, which distinguishes it from silica-lime soda glasses in Western Asia and Mesopotamia. At the end of the Han Dynasty (AD 220), the tradition of barium-lead glasses declined, with glass production only continuing during the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
Video Ancient Chinese glass
The chemical composition of Warring States and Han period glasses
Today, it is accepted that in China, glass-making began around the 5th century BC during the late Spring and Autumn until the period of the early War States. The chemical analysis of glass samples from this era has identified no fewer than three glass systems: potassium-lime, barium-lead, and potassium; This, lead-barium is the most significant in early China.
During the Warring States and Han Dynasties (5th century BC to early 3rd century CE) glass was imported from areas outside East Asia, such as Mesopotamia. Western faience and glass imports may inspire the production of the first Chinese glasses. The main group of objects with Western influences are beads of eyed beads or eyed beads. The main difference between the eyelid eye beads and the Chinese eye beads is its chemical composition. The colored glasses used to produce Chinese eye beads have high lead and barium content. This type of composition is exclusive to China; and it was used to produce various glass objects until the end of the Han Dynasty.
Table 1 shows examples of the chemical composition of some Chinese glass objects.
Table 1: Chinese glass element composition from the Warring States Period until the Han Dynasty. Data from the first 4 objects were taken from Brill et al. 1991; data from glass garment plaques were taken from Cheng Zhuhai and Zhou Changyuan 1991; and data from the ritual disc were taken from Shi Meiguang 1991.
Chinese barium glasses usually give 5 to 15% BaO. The source of barium in a glass is not clear; However it is possible that ancient Chinese glass makers used the witherite (a form of barium carbonate mineral) as a material. The use of separate materials implies that barium has certain functions. This function can change the glass, by lowering the melting point of the melt; or stabilize the glass, by making it less soluble to water. It can also be added to create frosted glass. Analysis of electron microprobe from glass fragments has shown that certain barium-lead glass opacities are produced by barium disilicate crystals. This turbidity gives the glasses a jade-like appearance.
Maps Ancient Chinese glass
Glass objects in War and Han periods
The period between the Warring States and Han Dynasty periods formed the early Chinese glass industry. Most of the glass objects from this period came from the archaeological excavations of the tomb. Therefore, most glass objects have dating and a fairly secure context. During this period, China primarily used glass to produce two different types of objects, polychrome eye beads, and monochrome-eating objects
Eye Beads
The earliest types of glass objects found in China are polychrome eye beads or dragonfly beads. Beads were found at the cemetery from late Spring and Autumn and the periods of the early War States (early 5th century BC) to the End of Warring States - the early Han West period. Most beads have a monochrome glass body covered by several layers of colored glass. Different layers of colored glass are applied alternately to produce concentric circles. The circle patterns resemble the eyes, giving the beads their names. This bead style originated from the Near East during the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. The influence of style then spread to the Mediterranean, Central Asia and China.
During the early 5th century BC, imported eye beads were considered exotic objects. They are mainly kept in high-status cemeteries, such as the tomb of a male nobleman from Qi state in Langjiazhuang, Shadong. This situation changed during the State Period of Central and Late War. The eye beads of this period were made of Chinese barium glass and were mainly found in the central Yangzi River valley, showing a connection to the Chu empire. In this context, beads are becoming more common and available to most Chinese society. This evidence is the presence of eye beads in medium and small burial, with simple funeral furnishings, as well as high status burials.
The use of eye beads in the cemetery quickly declined in the early Han West period. This is believed to be the result of the invasion of the Chu royal territory by the armies of Qin and Han at the end of the 3rd century. The collapse of the Chu empire will cause the production of eye beads to end.
Blurry monochrome object
During the American War and Han period, Chinese glassmakers took advantage of the similarity between glass and jade. In this period many glass objects, which are found in the context of burial, are made of frosted green glass, light green or white milk. These objects have a shape similar to their jade pairs, and no doubt imitate the precious stone. Among these objects there are bi disks, 'glass clothes' (or glass clothes), sword and ship accessories, among others.
Bi disk
Disk bi is a ritual object that resembles a flattened torque. The earliest archaeological specimens were carved out of stone (usually nephrite) and date back to the late Neolithic period; they became an important burial element during the 3rd millennium BC. They are placed at or near the head of a deceased person.
Glass bi disks are the most common type of monochrome glass object. They first became abundant in the Chu empire during the Warring States period. Bi disks from this period tend to be between 7.9 and 9.4 cm in diameter. Glass bi disks look very much like their contemporaries, usually decorated on one side with a simple grain pattern or simple cloud of jade. They are primarily found in medium- to small-sized tombs, showing the middle strata of society rather than the elite. This implies that the disk bi is considered a cheaper alternative to jade bi disk.
Ceremonial funeral fraud
Plaque from glass cemetery or glass apparel is directly related to jade objects. Several pieces of the burial plaque have been found in several wooden cemeteries of the Western Han Dynasty. The plaques come in various forms, with rectangles being the most common. Some of these rectangular pieces have perforations in 4 corners, indicating that they are strung together, or sewn into fabric, to form a protective cemetery shirt. Other forms, such as circles, triangles and rhomboidal, are often decorated with mold patterns. All forms of glass plaques have jade pairs, indicating that glass funeral clothes are a cheaper alternative to jade funerary suits.
Vessels
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments