Dimensions: Height 14 cm Wide 16 cm Depth 16 cm
Weight: 773 grams

Finely carved from rich cobalt-blue glass, the censer is of compressed globular form raised on three cabriole legs, the sides decorated in high relief with lotus blossoms and scrolling foliage, and set with a pair of upright loop handles. The base is moulded with a four-character Qianlong mark within a square panel.

Beijing glass vessels of the Qianlong period demonstrate the technical refinement and artistic ambition of the imperial workshops, where glass was treated with the same reverence as jade or porcelain. The deep sapphire tone of the present censer recalls lapis lazuli, while the bold lotus design underlines its Buddhist associations.

Comparable examples are preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The present vessel, with its vibrant colour, crisp relief carving, and Qianlong mark, represents a rare and fine example of 18th-century imperial Beijing glasswork.

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