Crystal Sphere in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, November 2009

Crystal Sphere
China
Rock crystal
19th century, Qing Dynasty (1644-1912)

# C 681 A,B

An ornamental treasure of the Imperial Palace in Beijing, the crystal sphere was said to have been a favorite possession of the Empress Dowager Cixi (1836-1908), the last effective Imperial ruler of China. The rock crystal originated in Burma and was shaped into a sphere through years of constant rotation in a semi-cylindrical container filled with emery, garnet powder and water. The forty-nine pound flawless crystal sphere is believed to be the second largest in the world. The stand in the shape of a wave was designed by a Japanese artisan.

Text from the U. Penn museum label.