Peking Glass Bok Choy Charm

Although practiced for centuries, Chinese glass-making gained prominence during the Qing-dynasty with the introduction of Peking glass. Adapting European technologies, workshops in the Imperial Palace began creating layered and intricately-carved glass pieces that mimicked the translucency of jade, semiprecious stones, and rare jewels.

This Peking glass charm is sculpted as a tiny bok choy cabbage, a symbol humility and wealth. The little charm is made of white, green, and yellow glass, the green end feathered and pinched to resemble crinkled leaves and the white underlayer stretched to resemble long stalks.

From the collection of Frances and Gary Comer.