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Article: The carved rock crystals of Emperor Qianlong.
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- March 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Rock crystal, also known as quartz crystal, is a transparent form of the mineral quartz that was commonly referred to as buijing, or water essence, in early Chinese writings. [1] Carvings of rock crystal are included in collections of Chinese art throughout the world, but one of the most significant groups is that held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The core of this collection consists of thirty-seven Qing dynasty carvings acquired by Major General William Crozier (1855-1942) and his wife, Mary Hoyt Williams Crozier (1863-1955), who donated them to the museum in 1944. [2] Stationed in Beijing in 1900 as chief ordnance officer of the relief expedition during the Boxer ...