Glass 9 Te 18th- and 19th-century trade


in scented substances therefore accelerated the global exchange of glass techniques. Many bottles are completely


devoid


Four enamelled and gilded flasks with funnel in wooden box, bottles made in Europe, decoration applied in Gujarat, India between 1725-1750


of decoration,


however, like many other Chinese art forms, the Chinese snuff bottles were often decorated using symbols. Various images were used to create homonyms


and puns through


characters and/or visuals to convey a wish or auspicious theme, such as longevity (shou, of a crane, pine tree, or images of the eight immortals), happiness or blessings


(fu, or bat


image), and abundance. Te fish is both an emblem of wealth and abundance and of harmony and married bliss and is used in a variety of decorative ways in many media. Bamboo is also a frequent motif, owing to its durability and being evergreen, to signify longevity. Tese symbols were derived from a


mixed with aromatics, such as jasmine or orange flower. Tobacco originated in South America and was first introduced to Europe in the 1500s and later to China. Originally, Chinese snuff bottles were created to perform a specific function: the storage of ground tobacco. Smoking tobacco was illegal, but the use of snuff was allowed because it was considered a remedy for common illnesses such as colds and headaches. Tey began making their appearance in the early 18th century, during the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1654-1722) with the earliest bottles made out of glass. Te portable snuff boxes that Europeans gifted to Chinese officials often contained glass and stimulated the development of new glass types in China, such as aventurine and gold-ruby glass.


Te first palace glass workshop


was set up in 1696 by order of the Kangxi emperor (r 1662-1722) and was run by a German Jesuit priest called Kilian Stumpf, a skilled glassmaker. Under his guidance, the workshops began to make objects such as vases, cups, bowls, snuff bottles, and incense burners, as well as items for the scholar’s desk. Tese objects were either destined for use in the palace, or given as gifts by the emperor. Most of the craftsmen were Chinese with glass-making or jade- working experience and came from Shandong in northwest China, or from Guandong and Suzhou in the south. European Jesuits with glass- making skills also worked in the palace workshops in the 1740s and 1750s.


multitude of sources such as legends, history, religion, philosophy, and superstition. Te ideas used are almost always directed toward bringing wealth, health, good luck, longevity, even immortality to the owner of an artefact, frequently as a wish expressed in a kind of coded form by the giver of a gift. A final case will consider the


importance of glass in containing medicinals, which could be quite pungent, particularly, the stimulating effects of smelling salts, which contained ammonium carbonate, which could be used to revive a person who had lost consciousness. Teir containers were designed for portability, and the glass tinted to protect its contents from sunlight. In many cultures, the flowers,


herbs, and spices from which perfumes were extracted also had medicinal properties. Airtight glass


bottles ensured that these substances remained potent over time, and smaller flasks were designed for portability. One example in the exhibition is a small, cut-glass medicine bottle that was originally labelled with the Japanese characters for peppermint oil (hakka-yu). Often, in East Asian cultures, peppermint was used to treat colds, joint pains, and to relieve insect stings. In the 19th century, there was a difference


significant between


Japanese and European glass-cutting techniques. European glassmakers cut with a rotating disc but the Japanese used an emery mixed with water, applied in a backwards and forwards motion with an iron-rod type tool. It was a laborious process but produced a finish that was smooth to the touch. Finished products known as tebori


Scent accelerated the


global exchange of glass


techniques


famous for glassware, producing such items as cut-glass sake glasses. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), as part of the government’s policy of promoting Japanese industrialisation, a modern glass factory was established and in 1881, the government invited Emmanuel Hauptmann, a British cutglass engineer, to Japan to impart his knowledge and techniques to the Edo kiriko artisans, which led to British cut glass technology merging with Edo kiriko techniques. Another famous


cut-glass style, Satsuma


• From 7 September to 1 February, 2025, The Corning Museum of Glass, home.cmog.org


kiriko, stopped its production at the end of the 19th century, resulting in many unemployed craftsmen migrating to Edo, taking with them their Satsuma kiriko traditions. Tis technique of using colour coated glass was soon absorbed into the production of Edo kiriko. From the Taisho period (1912-1926) through the early days of the Showa period (1926-1988), cut glass became to be known as wa glass (Japanese-style glass). Tis style became extremely popular in Japan and was used for drinking glasses, tableware, and even lamp shades and is still in use today.


• The Museum’s 62nd Annual Seminar on Glass will be presented as a free


kiriko,


‘hand-carved cut glass’ commanded a high price. By the early 19th century, as practising glassmakers became more professional – and commercial – glass production grew, for example, Kyushu had a thriving local industry that retained its distinctive identity. Edo manufactures also became


live Zoom event on 22-23 October, convening scholars, artists, and perfumers to consider the intimate relationship between glass and scent across history. Seminar programming will include a keynote presentation on 20th-century perfume bottles, papers on subjects as diverse as the trade of balsam in the ancient world, the evolution of Islamic rosewater sprinklers, and the modern perfume bottles created by René Lalique.


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Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Black-Hooded Oriole and Insect on Jackfruit Stump (detail), Calcutta, 1778, watercolour. Gift of Elizabeth and Willard Clark, Minneapolis Institute of Art


Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Black-Hooded Oriole and Insect on Jackfruit Stump (detail), Calcutta, 1778, watercolour. Gift of Elizabeth and Willard Clark, Minneapolis Institute of Art


Shaikh Zain ud-Din, Black-Hooded Oriole and Insect on Jackfruit Stump (detail), Calcutta, 1778, watercolour. Gift of Elizabeth and Willard Clark, Minneapolis Institute of Art


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