Glassmaking of the Qing Dynasty: A Review, New Data, and New Insights

Abstract

Full major and minor chemical compositions, including F, B, As, and Cl, have been produced quantitatively using EPMA for glass samples originating from the Qing Dynasty glass collection of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and glass samples unearthed at a twelfth- to fourteenth-century Boshan glass production site. In light of this new full-spectrum data, previously published, less complete Qing Dynasty glass chemical compositional data are reviewed and commented upon. Recent discoveries from art historical studies of Qing Dynasty glasses are used to interpret the chemical compositions of glasses made at different manufacturing sites. The origin of the “foreign” recipe used at the Qing Dynasty imperial glass factory and the changing recipes used at Boshan are discussed.