Pair of Ancient Iridescent Glass Cups, Han‑Tang Period

拍品描述

Dimensions:First cup: Diameter 8cm (3‑1/8in), Height 5.2cm (2‑1/16in); Second cup: Diameter 8cm (3‑1/8in), Height 4.7cm (1‑7/8in)Condition & Provenance:Here we’ve got this matching pair of ancient glass drinking vessels that survived burial underground for well over a thousand years, and you can absolutely read their long history all over every surface. Neither piece has big gaping cracks or heavy restoration work done, though they do show all the honest condition issues you would expect from genuine excavated ancient glass. Thick, crusty burial soil deposits cling to both interior and exterior walls, layered right on top of the glass matrix. Stunning rainbow‑toned iridescent weathering patina covers large portions of both cups, shifting shades of blue, purple, green and silver as light hits them, alongside chalky white surface decomposition and pitting. The taller cup features a thickened rim band with distinct brownish‑red oxidation encrustation built up along the lip. Both vessels retain their original cylindrical body shape; minor surface flaking and thin layered glass‑layer delamination is visible, typical age degradation from long‑term tomb burial, no modern filling or over‑painting has been applied to hide these ancient wear patterns. These two glass cups came out of an old mid‑west American private collection, the original owner purchased them directly from Asian art dealers back in the early 1970s, they have stayed within the same family estate ever since and this marks their very first time being offered on the open auction market.Description:This lot brings you two hand‑blown ancient glass cups originating from the Han‑Tang cultural era. Both adopt a simple straight‑sided cylindrical form with thickened, rounded rolled rims and flat bases, these were functional daily‑use drinking or ritual cosmetic vessels back in antiquity. The glass material itself carries that muted ancient translucent green‑blue tone, not crystal clear like modern glass, as you would see with early hand‑formulated glass manufacture. No engraved or painted surface ornamentation, the whole aesthetic relies entirely on vessel silhouette and the spectacular natural iridescent luster formed by centuries‑long chemical reaction while buried beneath ground. Inside each cup you still see heavy residual earth and mineral encrustations left behind from their tomb context. These are highly collectible authentic early Chinese glass artifacts, they give modern collectors a real tangible window into ancient glass‑making technology and burial customs of early China.

图片