Chinese Enamel Immortals Silver Set

When the words 'Chinese' and 'enamel' are combined, many people automatically think of cloisonné.

In Oriental Cloisonné and Other Enamels, 1975, the Chu's support the theory that  cloisonné was introduced into China from Persia in the 13th and 14th centuries during the Mongol invasions. Cloisonné enamel frequently appears on Chinese jewelry of the late 19th and early 10th centuries. 

 

But another technique...painted enamel was introduced to China from France in the early 18th century...sometimes referred to as 'Canton enamels'... The use of painted enamel gained rapid acceptance because it utilized the skills of the many trained artisans who had been painting porcelain for centuries.

This set also required a silversmith... the figures are repoussé metal stamped or pressed from the underside... enamel on repoussé is the most fragile of all enamels... enamel is essentially glass...in cloisonné the glass is protected by the wire work... in painted repoussé there is no protection.

So it is quite rare to find a painted enamel set in such great condition.

The Immortals

When I saw this set my first thought was of the Eight Immortals (reference) so I started counting... and realized there were more than eight different figures... in fact there were nine.

In researching this, I found a number of examples where the Eight Immortals were joined by Shou, the God of Longevity, with his peach wood staff. I believe that is his representation in the middle....flanked on each side by four Immortals.

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Listing Gallery Update

We are adding these items to the listing gallery today.

Be sure to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!

Chinese Silver Enamel Coral Dragon Bracelet

As a collector, I love to find variations on a theme ...the two dragons chasing the pearl is one of the most common images in Chinese ornaments and this is the third dragon and pearl bracelet that I have written about.

  

Hand cut salmon coral beads; threaded and wrapped ... sliver dragons with blue enamel highlights ... solid silver pearl.

Just look at the three bracelets .... they say more about the creativity and ethnic diversity of the Chinese silversmith than I can.

Chinese Silver Enamel Coral Dragon Bracelet c. 1880-1910, Marked: SILVER. Diameter: 8.3cm outer, 6cm inner.

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Chinese Daoist Wedding Bracelet

Colour was the first thing that attracted me to this bracelet... red and green... with vibrant blue highlights.

In China red and green are the colours of life ... associated with summer and spring ... traditional wedding clothing is red ...fertility is associated with the colour green.

Here the red enamel is a bottle gourd... a Daoist symbol associated with longevity, fertility and prosperity... and the gourds are shown with ribbons attached, which give the gourd supernatural powers.

The three carved jade figures at the centre of this bracelet are; Fu, Lu and Shou  ( see my previous Qing Dynasty Silver Jade Lock post) ... the Three Stellar Gods.

This is a wonderful example of Qing era jade being used in early 20th century settings...

c. 1930-40, 5 curved links of mesh with openwork cloisonné.  Marked-SILVER MADE IN CHINA, 5.1cm x 18cm. Three white jade figures; 3cm x 1.4cm, 2.8cm x 1.3cm, 2.5cm x 1.5cm.

 

Visit PrivateCollection's PictureBook to see additional photos.

Anniversary Already?

It is hard to believe that an entire year has gone by since the PrivateCollection site was launched! I want to thank all of the readers who have encouraged us to 'keep at it' with their emails and support.

We have posted 26 entries this year and we look forward to posting more entries. Here is a sample of those items. Please visit the PictureBook archive to see all  26 posts and their photos.   

 

Happy New Year!!!