Miracle ball
Wonder balls or Chinese balls are called hollow balls made of ivory , inside of which there are other balls with ever smaller diameters.
The inner balls are visible through mostly circular recesses in the outer balls. Since a miracle ball is made from one piece, the craftsmanship often causes amazement. Wonder balls were therefore often part of the collection of royal chambers of wonder .
The balls were not hand-carved, as most people assumed at the time they were made, but rather turned . Hence, it is believed that the manufacturing technique was invented in Europe and not in China, as a great deal of lathe arts practice is required to make it, which was not the case in China at the time. The ornate decorations and openings in the individual spherical shells were made by hand.
The miracle balls made in Europe are mostly smooth-walled, the Chinese versions, on the other hand, have richly carved decorations on the two outer balls.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Chinese balls or miracle balls In: BeyArs, Kunstlexikon; Wunderkugeln in: PW Hartmann: Das große Kunstlexikon , BeyArs 1996