A Great Wish

ClassificationsSculpture

Artist Loretta Hui-shan Yang

Date1998

MediumPate de verre and glass

Dimensions11 1/2 × 14 × 24 in. (29.2 × 35.6 × 61 cm)

Credit LineGift of Liu Li Gong Fang (USA), Inc.

Object number2001.19.1

Description"A Great Wish", 1998, by Loretta Yang, Pate de verre, glass. #4 of 8 scultpures made. The specific technique used by Loretta Hui-Shan Yang also appears to have an ancient history in China. Known as pâte-de-verre, which literally translates to glass paste, Chinese examples dating back to the 1st Century BCE have been discovered in the Tomb of the Han Emperor Liu Sheng. The modern process is slightly different than the ancient one, involving grinding glass into a powder, mixing it with bonding, fluxing, and coloring agents, inserting it into a negative plastic mold made using a wax figure, and finally firing it in a kiln for several days. Depending on the additives used, an incredible array of colors and opacities can be attained, the incredible results of which are clearly visible in the ever-growing body of Yang’s work. Returning to the clouded glass of A Great Wish, its opacity may seem odd compared against the bulk of crystal clear glass being produced today, but its has historically been the norm.

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