| A universal guide for China studiesChinese Art - Handicrafts |
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Glass objects | Bronze Ritual Vessels Gold and Silver Other Metal Items Jade and other Stones Bamboo Wood (except furniture) Paper Ivory and Bone Leather and Horn Lacquerware Earthen and Stone Ware Chinaware Enamel, Cloisonné Glass | |||||||||
 | Glass is made of similar components like earthenware and porcelain, but it is a transparent or at least translucent hard and brittle material, not conducting heat and easily brakeable. It is made by cooling molten ingredients such as 75 % silica sand (silicon dioxide SiO2), 10 % limestone (calcium carbonate CaCO3) and 15 % sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) with sufficient rapidity to prevent the formation of visible crystals. To reduce the melting point of silica of 1,723 to 850º C (3,092 to 1,562º F), sodium carbonate serves as a flux. The limestone makes the glass prone to devitrification or liquidation. The agents used to colour glass are generally metal oxides. Molded glass was in use since the age of Warring States 戰國 in China, while glassblowing was invented during the 1st cent. BC in Syria. In China, glass never reached the eminent position of a material worth to ornate cathedral windows, and there are comparatively few examples for Chinese glassworks. During Ming 明 and Qing 清 dynasties, glass vases were highly influenced by Western art. | |||||||||
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