Chinese Silver Mirror
- Item No.
Print Page
Item Details
- Width:
18 1/2 Inches - Height:
25 Inches - Period:
20th Century - Origin:
Asia
This exquisite Chinese silver mirror is a work of exotic beauty. Elegantly shaped and monumental in size, this looking glass is held within a silver frame of extraordinary artistry, boasting a chased and engraved floral boarder and guarded by two dragons at the top, who bear between them a silver disk emblazoned with a Chinese character. Set upon a solid wood back with a pierced metal stand, this mirror is a masterpiece of Meiji-period silver.
Silver is a plentiful raw material in China, so it's been widely used in decorative objects, from boxes to bowls, since the 7th century. Chinese export silver was made for Western tourists in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring typical Chinese designs like dragons rather than Western motifs such as goats and grapes. All Chinese silver was made by hand, with its elaborate designs hammered out by master Chinese craftsmen. As tourists often spent weeks or more on ships traveling to the Far East, they spent months in the far away country. This gave them ample time to choose their pattern and have it crafted during the time in which they traveled. Largely unknown until the mid-1970s, a great deal of Chinese silver has been acquired by museums, making this exquisite mirror a highly desirable rarity on the market.
Circa 1900
18 ½" wide x 25 " high
Silver is a plentiful raw material in China, so it's been widely used in decorative objects, from boxes to bowls, since the 7th century. Chinese export silver was made for Western tourists in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring typical Chinese designs like dragons rather than Western motifs such as goats and grapes. All Chinese silver was made by hand, with its elaborate designs hammered out by master Chinese craftsmen. As tourists often spent weeks or more on ships traveling to the Far East, they spent months in the far away country. This gave them ample time to choose their pattern and have it crafted during the time in which they traveled. Largely unknown until the mid-1970s, a great deal of Chinese silver has been acquired by museums, making this exquisite mirror a highly desirable rarity on the market.
Circa 1900
18 ½" wide x 25 " high
