Page 71 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

particular style evolved noticeably within that time span - this and all the other factors can
help pinpoint an item within an approximation of ten years.

Occasionally, items carry an engraved inscription or dedication, often on standing cups
and trophies. While this is potentially a good indicator, it can also be a case of an
inscription being applied to a stock off-the-shelf item that wasn’t necessarily of that same
year. A look at old photographs of some of the silver emporia of Canton, Shanghai and
Hong Kong shows us very large showrooms crammed from floor to ceiling with silver
items. Presentation items could also have previously been owned by someone who then
decided to use it or offer it as a presentation piece. There are ample recorded examples
that have dated inscriptions that were obviously made earlier - sometimes 10-20 years
earlier.

Unless a firm proof of provenance exists [and it sometimes does], dating can only be an
informed approximation at best.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIAL HIERARCHY & SKILLED ARTISANS

The Shi: In ancient times,
the Shi were a knightly
order of semi-aristocratic
lineage who commanded
b a t t l e f r o m c h a r i o t s ,
wearing long flowing robes
when not in battle. By the
time the philosophical
schools had developed
towards the end of the
Zhou Dynasty, the Shi had
evolved into being scholars
and administrators. By the
Sung Dynasty, the civil
service as we’d recognise
it, had developed and a
A gentleman Shi scholar during the Sung Dynasty system of examinations
were required to enter it.
Recruitment was mainly
from the Shi class. By the end of the Sung period, there were 400,000 civil servants and
the Shi had become less aristocratic and scholarly bureaucrats were prevalent.

The Nong: The Nong were the salt of the earth; farmers and agricultural workers who
effectively sustained the whole of Chinese society with food and the taxes levied on their
land provided the bulk of revenues for the ruling classes. For such an all-round productive
sector of society, they were highly regarded. Soldiers were traditionally recruited from