Page 920 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

Reticulated silver caged bottle and decanters were
very much a Chinese silversmith’s domain and
expertise. Perhaps this grew from the fact that
traditional Chinese decorative motifs such as the
prunus blossom on the caged perfume flask lent
themselves so well to this technique. It could also has
been a tangental progression by silversmiths who
were practised in the art of silver filigree.

Circa 1890-1900, when this flask was made, certainly
saw an upsurge in silver cage-work being done in
Canton. It was during this decade that the almost
ubiquitous Chinese Export Silver item, the caged Haig
Whisky decanters began to appear and with them
caged hip flasks too. This perfume flask, however, is
quite unique in shape and style and is probably a
bespoke item.

This circa 1875-80 card case [left] speaks of a
master silversmith’s work. The figural harvest
scenes are superbly executed and a great
sense of perspective has been achieved by the
subtle layering of the different textures against
the finely hammered ground.

Although figural scenes form the theme for the
decorative panels on this circa 1885-90 tankard, the
inclusion of the meander borders and the arabesque-
shaped borders to each panel makes this tankard
quite different from its Chinese contemporaries.