QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

This elegant water pot made from 'aventurine' glass would have been a most appropriate object for a scholar's table, and complemented other articles made from the same material which are 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; no. 128, an inkrest; 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.