Han Dynasty Green Glass Straight Cup,2nd Century BCE – 2nd Century CE

拍品描述

Measurements:Mouth diameter 8 cm / 3.15 inches, height 5 cm / 1.97 inches, weight 52.6 grams, Han Dynasty, Category: Ancient Glass Curios, Primary trading market: New YorkCondition & Provenance:The vessel is fully intact without cracks, chips or missing sections, with regular symmetrical shape and perfectly preserved thick rim. The whole piece retains original Han burial soil encrustation and iridescent rainbow patina known as glass luster. The outer wall is covered with natural mottled yellow and brown earth stains, while thick ancient burial dirt naturally accumulates inside the cup. Tiny air bubbles formed during ancient hand-blowing are embedded within the glass body. The base features an unpolished original firing bump, and multi-layer iridescent sheen spreads across all interior and exterior surfaces. No acid washing, artificial coating or modern restoration has been applied. Only natural burial mud covers the inner cavity; the glass body structure remains solid with no post-excavation repair or sanding. This glass cup was first presented at the 2014 New York Asian Antique Fair excavated artifact section, then collected in 2018 by a private ancient glass collector based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It has been stored individually in a constant-temperature dark storage room, only lightly brushed with dry soft brushes to remove loose dust. No deep cleaning or restoration work has ever been performed, fully preserving the original burial patina and two-thousand-year weathered glass layer.Object Description:This straight-sided green glass cup is hand-blown ancient lead-barium glass from the Han Dynasty, a rare daily-use glass artifact embodying Sino-foreign cultural exchange during early Chinese imperial eras, highly sought-after by North American antique glass collectors. The vessel was hand-blown with traditional low-temperature lead-barium glass craft, featuring a wide flared rim, straight cylindrical body and flat base, presenting a simple elegant shape favored by Han aristocrats for drinking. The translucent pale green glass matrix holds countless tiny natural air bubbles created by primitive ancient glassworking techniques. After two millennia underground burial, the interior and exterior surfaces developed thick soil encrustation and iconic rainbow iridescence. When light hits the surface, shifting layers of green, blue, violet and silver shimmer across the glass, the key identifying feature of authentic ancient buried glass. Earth rust patina on the exterior blends naturally without artificial treatment, thick untouched burial mud lines the inner cavity, and the unground original firing bump on the base fully retains raw Han manufacturing marks. Glass production was extremely costly during the Han Dynasty, resulting in very limited surviving pieces. Undamaged drinking cups with untouched natural iridescent patina are exceptionally scarce surviving artifacts. This piece documents glass trade along the ancient Silk Road, carrying triple value as archaeological reference, display decor and collectible investment, extremely popular among American specialists in ancient Chinese buried artifacts.

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