Vase

This vase from the Wilanów collection owes its exceptional appearance mainly to the material it is made of, i.e. black, non-transparent glass called hyalith. It received its name, inspired by the Greek word for “glass” (“hyalos”), from the very inventor of this 19th-century technical novelty, Georg Franz August Longueval, count of Buquoy (1781–1851). He was a mathematician, a physicist, a chemist, a philosopher as well as an owner of several glass factories. His broad interests and experiments led him to discover a new recipe for molten glass that has the characteristically deep black colour. Its production started in 1817. Owing to the unique hue, products made of hyalith, such as cups, vials, vases, tea containers or candle-holders, quickly became fashionable and widely in-demand. The popularity of hyalith, however, lasted for a relatively short period, i.e. until the 1840s, giving place to other types of glassware (mainly mass tinted glass of various colours), though hyalith vessels could still be found in the market.

The appearance of the material resembling items made of lacquer was the reason why such products started to be decorated with motifs inspired by Far Eastern art which can be first found in European art as early as the 17th century. The decoration on the vase is quite rare among items made of hyalith – many field separated by winding branches display figures of Chinese people engaged in various activities as well as small pavilions, plants and vases with flowers. Some elements are gilded, but many are silvered (e.g. the bodies of the human figures), thereby achieving an exceptional colour effect. Furthermore, some gilded surfaces were polished, while others were left matte, which results in additional lines in gilded spots that bring out their unique beauty.

The Wilanów collection also includes a companion vase (Wil.99) with slightly different shape and dimensions, decorated with motifs in a very similar layout.