Object Description
A large baluster shaped vase carved from a block of glass imitating realgar. Chinese, Qing Dynasty, second half 19th century.
Realgar is an historically important mineral, with a striking ruby-red colour that stands out in the mineral kingdom. Also known as “ruby sulphur” or “ruby of arsenic”. Its name comes from the Arabic rahi al-gar, via medieval latin and its earliest record in English is in the 1390s.