Colored Glaze or Liuli (琉璃) is the archaic Chinese word for glass artwork. Liuli is a type of multi-hued crystal glass created by hand from powdered glass. Its exact origins are obscured by time, with different stories describing its creation including one about the glass being the product of the love between a sword maker and a beautiful woman. However, most agree the process was likly created around 2500-1500 years ago, possibly around the Tang Dynasty era. At the time, Liuli jewelry and artwork was a rare luxurious adornment affordable only by the privileged. It's believed that Liuli jewelry can bring luck, fortune, and good health.To see more examples of this beautiful glass jewelry, please visit us at Liuli Glass Jewelry
The creation of Chinese Liuli Jewelry is different from the processes responsible for normal glass artwork. For tableware or jewelry, glass blowing is favored since one re-useable mold can be employed. Art pieces like Liuli on the other hand, require more detail and must use a lost-wax or pate-de-verre style process. For Liuli glass, 12 steps are necessary to produce the final product.Each piece of Chinese Liuli Glass Artwork is unique for several reasons. The Handcrafted mold for each piece can only be used once since the high-temperature firing process normally destroys it. Also, the mixture of different colors varies from piece to piece, so two pieces can never be made to look exactly the same.
Another typical feature of Liuli Glass are it’s bubbles. Liuli Glass work always contains bubbles trapped inside during the high-temperature firing process. Since the bubbles are random in number and location, some artists feel they add to the uniqueness of each piece and give it some life of its own. To find out more about these beautiful works of art, please visit us at Liuli Glass Jewelry
A bit more history:Loretta Yang Hui-shan (楊惠珊) and Chang Yi (張毅) are inseparable. They have done everything together, including giving up stardom 18 years ago to pursue a career in contemporary glass art. With two Golden Horse awards and a prize from the Asia-Pacific Film Festival for her acting, Yang shocked movie fans when she left the industry at the height of her career, taking with her the renowned and then married director, Chang Yi. Their unexpected career shift and scandalous relationship shocked the public, but as time passed they regained admiration and respect with their thriving cultural enterprise, Liuligongfang (琉璃工房).
Founded in 1987, Liuligongfang was the first glass-art workshop in all of Taiwan and China. Without any training and with no precursors to imitate, their early stages were limited to trial-and-error. The only conviction they held was, regardless of profits, this venture would highlight traditional Chinese culture. For Yang and Chang, traditional Chinese art was missing from the world of glass art and they aimed to fill the gap with pieces of liuli.
Since its launch, Liuligongfang has held exhibitions in Asia, Europe, South Africa, and the US, and has become part of the permanent collection of many museums at home and abroad. In terms of making a commercial success out of an art form, Yang and Chang have become to glassware what Georg Jensen is to silverware. Their enterprise has grown from two craftsmen operating a workshop in Danshui to a team of 900 employees and 56 stores worldwide.
Liuligongfang is slowing becoming a recognizable brand name. Working under the motto: "Create art, good for the human heart," Yang said whether it is a Buddha stature or a wineglass, she wants every liuli piece to convey "the richness and beauty of traditional Chinese culture." Their showrooms resemble galleries in the way each piece is displayed. Among the sparsely placed sculptures is a collection of jewelry and tableware that reflect a simple, understated refinement that has become Liuligongfang's trademark. Their time-consuming craftsmanship is reflected in the prices, which range from NT$3,000 for a necklace pendant to more than NT$500,000 for a sculpture. The recently opened TMSK restaurant in Shanghai is decorated with a liuli interior that draws from a rich cultural tradition, yet maintains contemporary style.
ESOTERIC ART:
When Yang started sculpting, she said she had no idea what to make, and it was Chang who suggested she start with a Buddha statue. From then until now, she has continued to sculpt Buddhist figures. Initially, she had no religious ties with Buddhism, but over the years her work has brought her closer to the religion. Now, the way she speaks suggests that creating Buddhist iconography is like an esoteric form of religious practice to her.
"When I am sculpting Buddha's face I try to feel his attributes, his calmness and clear mindedness. Just like in meditation, it is a form of meditation for me. I comprehend the teachings of the Buddha now and I also realize there are some teachings that provide me with direction in life, she said, reciting scripture from a Buddhist sutra. "`When the moment comes and I attend the enlightenment my body and my soul become like crystal -- transparent, pure and flawless.' When I first read this I began to think it would be possible for me to use glass as a medium to teach the philosophy of Buddhism."
To see more examples of this beautiful glass jewelry, please visit us at Liuli Glass Jewelry.
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