Palace chandelier
A Chinese hexagonal palace chandelier made of wood and glass and painted in the “reverse stained glass” technique. It consists of an upper and a lower part, each of which has six faces with six painted glass panes. There is an attachment from which to hang it at the top, and six legs at the base, so that it can be stood on a surface if desired. On the chandelier hang six ornaments with red tassels and embroidered clouds connected by strings with glass beads. The glass is inserted into a wooden frame with a carved border and a cloud pattern that adorns all six sides of the chandelier. At the top on one side are two more dragons and the character for longevity (shou 壽). In the upper part, there are six images in frames with motifs of plants, fruits and animals, such as radish, persimmon, grapes, watermelon, pumpkin, pear and a mouse, representing favourable signs and the desire for abundance (many offspring, abundant harvest, great success). On the glass of the lower ... more
A Chinese hexagonal palace chandelier made of wood and glass and painted in the “reverse stained glass” technique. It consists of an upper and a lower part, each of which has six faces with six painted glass panes. There is an attachment from which to hang it at the top, and six legs at the base, so that it can be stood on a surface if desired. On the chandelier hang six ornaments with red tassels and embroidered clouds connected by strings with glass beads. The glass is inserted into a wooden frame with a carved border and a cloud pattern that adorns all six sides of the chandelier. At the top on one side are two more dragons and the character for longevity (shou 壽). In the upper part, there are six images in frames with motifs of plants, fruits and animals, such as radish, persimmon, grapes, watermelon, pumpkin, pear and a mouse, representing favourable signs and the desire for abundance (many offspring, abundant harvest, great success). On the glass of the lower part, six human figures are painted, with texts describing their life and achievements. These are great Chinese historical figures and heroes such as Sun Ce 孫策 (175–200), Wang Meng 王猛 (325–375), Guo Ziyi 郭子儀 (697–781), Su Ruolan 蘇若蘭 (357-?), Ban Zhao 班昭 (49–120) and Wen Tianxiang 文天祥 (1236–1283). This type of chandelier was originally found only in palaces, but in the late Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) their use spread to the common people. The chandelier is intended for lighting and room decoration.The excellent craftsmanship would have required a combination of various crafts such as woodworking, carving, lacquering, weaving and glass painting. The item probably originated in Beijing and is dated to the late 19th or early 20th century. (WL)
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