Page 928 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

While the close-up image
of a glass shows the
s t a n d a r d o f g l a s s
engraving as well as the
relatively poor standard
of glass itself [Chinese
glass of this period was
generally clear and contained small air bubbles - it was
quite unusual to find crystal clear glass in China]. The
standard of the reticulated work of the glass caging and
the thickness of silver used is very different to that used
on Yu Chang items. Even the box the set came in - this was
cardboard and most Chinese silversmiths, including Yu
Chang, presented boxed sets in wooden boxes lined with
either silk or decorative paper.

The base of each reticulated glass holder has hand-cut
fretwork that Ye Ching employed even on silver goblet. The
fretwork is not symmetrical - on Yu Chang items, more
care seems to have been taken, although the same style of
fretwork base was used. The fretwork is uncannily similar
to Y.C.Co.
Images courtesy of Mroczek Brothers, Seattle, USA; Aalders Auctions, Camperdown, Australia; Supershrink’s House of
Silver; Brandon Burns Private Collection

http://chinese-export-silver.com Image Library Archive