Investigating the Glassmaking Crafts of Qing Dynasty China in Guangzhou through Twelve Export Paintings

This article explores the glassmaking craft in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty, focusing on twelve export paintings collected from the National Library of France. It delves into the detailed processes of glass production in Qing-era Guangzhou, vividly recording the stages from the handling of raw materials to the finished product. The paintings reveal how Guangzhou craftsmen utilized imported semi-processed raw materials, glass shards, for secondary processing to ultimately produce quality flat glass products. The export paintings depict the situation of glassmaking by Guangzhou craftsmen during the Qing Dynasty. This article employs bibliographical and iconographical research methods and a combined approach of text and images to thoroughly interpret these paintings. It analyzes the manufacturing craft at each step to recreate the actualities of glass production in Qing-era Guangzhou, providing a new perspective on the technical and cultural interactions between China and the West.