A rare libation cast glass cup with a dragon’s head springing out at one side to form the handle, while a griffin and a phoenix stand out at the back of the base. The cup’s body is also finely decorated with the shapes of two phoenixes surrounded by geometrical motifs in low relief, some of which are likely to have been incised by hand. The present libation cup bears close stylistic relation to carved vessels typically made with rock crystal or jade. This example made with glass attests the creativity of the artisan who wanted to reproduce such impressive designs exploiting the incredible features of glass.

In the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) glassmaking witnessed a big revival, probably a result of the imperial support, as many ateliers which were working specifically for the palace were established. The creation of these imperial workshops and their openness towards the introduction of western techniques, lead to the flourishing of Chinese glassmaking. Qing glass production was marked by enthusiastic support from the emperor, princes, and high officials and glass objects like the ones presented here were luxury articles. In the Kangxi period (1661-1722, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty) glass imitation of gems reached its peak, with clear glass used in place of rock crystal. Rock crystal was a material treasured by the Chinese people in the same way as they treasured jade and was a symbol of purity.