Chinese Gourd Form Vase

Two swelling bulbs of cobalt glass, one stacked on top of the other.

This gourd form vase is contemporary, from China, in Peking glass. The double gourd is among the oldest and most auspicious shapes in Chinese decorative arts, often associated with longevity and good fortune. This one has a smaller upper bulb rising from a fuller lower body, finished with a short straight neck and a small mouth. The glass is a deep, saturated cobalt blue, translucent where the light passes through, almost violet in the shadows. The surface is smooth and polished. It is 12.3 inches high and 7.1 in diameter.

A gourd that will never go soft.