A Plan of the Emperor's Glassworks

From the outset of the French mission to China, scientific and cultural pursuits were envisioned and playing a large role. In 1696, a glass workshop was established as a division of the imperial ateliers. It was built on a piece of land next to the French Jesuits' church, which was situated within the walls of the Imperial City, and placed under their care. The glass workshop continued to develop and production at it reached its zenith during the Qianlong period (r. 1735-1796). However, when missionary glass artisans, such as Pierre d'Incarville, and Léonard de Brossard, were no longer associated with the workshop, the quality of its wares began to decline. At the turn of the century, the mission in China sank almost to extinction, and by 1827, all activity at the glassworks had ceased. In 1998, the existence of a Chinese plan for this glass workshop was revealed in an inventory of documents from the Lazarist mission to Beijing. Therefore, the topic of this paper is a study of this plan and the glassmaking activities associated with it.