Page 374 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

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Gothic K was by no means the only Chinese retail silversmith to produce rosewater
sprinklers, but generally sprinklers from this retailer rarely had anything Chinese
decorative element. The silver and silver gilt example [previously illustrated] shows
that apart from adhering strictly to the accepted form of these items, there is
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nothing recognisably Chinese here.!
Rosewater sprinklers were used ceremonially by Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews as
well as Muslims. This particular example is taller than normal [37.5cm]. The bulbous
base depicts a deer, birds, a stork and a peacock within a foliate motif that could be
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acanthus but could also be a general arabesque-form leaf.!
Sprinklers were more often than not made as pairs and were used at weddings,
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feasts and in welcoming ceremonies.!
The second example [right] does include some Chinese imagery; the
chrysanthemum motif within a quatrefoil frame is repeated four times around the
bulbous base, but otherwise the decoration is more “Eastern” than anything
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Chinese.!
Certainly, a significant number of Jewish and Muslim merchants were involved in
the China Trade, coming mainly from India or what we might refer to today as the
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“Stan”countries bordering on Manchuria and Southern Russia.!
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The tankard [left] has an extremely
accomplished level of raised silver work
depicting a busy Chinese scene. The tankard
is probably double skinned - commonly used
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by Chinese silversmiths.!
The tankard dates to circa 1860.!

The tankard [above right], however, takes an entirely different form from what became accepted as the norm.
The squat pedestal stem and the form the cup takes are quite unusual for a Chinese silversmith to have created