Page 472 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

LAO TIAN LI
Beijing
circa 1895-1930

Lao Tian Li was previously a master silversmith in
one of the Imperial cloisonné workshops that was
forced to close due to the late Qing economic
slowdown - as with other workshops, Lao Tian Li
opened as an independent maker and retailer that
produced both cloisonné wares and silver Buddhist
ceremonial items such as stupas and reliquaries.

After the formation of the new Republic, Lao Tian Li
was commissioned to produce the various classes of
the silver gilt and enamel Striped Tiger order medal
or Wen-Hu [left] - that were mostly awarded during
the 1920’s.

Part of the diversification after the dissolution of the Imperial workshops
was to produce ceremonial stupas [right]. Documentation exists showing
that Lao Tian Li exhibited at the Pacific Panama International Exhibition
held in San Francisco in 1915.

Replicas of silver and enamel medals produced at the Lao Tian Li
workshop are in the archival collection at The Smithsonian Institute,
Washington DC.