DESCRIPTION

Antique 19th Century rare Chinese solid silver decorative pair of vases, realistically modelled as pair of closed lotus flowers, standing on a hand carved, pierced wood bases and fitted in the original presentation box. Made by the renowned Cantonese silversmith Cum Shing, he often aimed to create an object that was both traditionally Chinese and theatrical; theatricality seemed to be such an intrinsic part of the Cum Shing experience that when an item appears that is simple, the natural instinct is to check whether it is indeed Cum Shing even though the quality might be there, he also used Chinese mythology and religious elements in his work, as there candlesticks perfectly demonstrate.

The lotus is considered a sacred Buddhist symbol (one of Eight Auspicious Symbols) representing purity and detachment from worldly cares. A lotus stem and lotus pod shown together symbolize marital harmony and sexual union. Lotus seeds (lianzi 莲 籽) have the hidden meaning of "continuous birth of children" because the lian sounds like "continuous" (连) and the zi has the same pronunciation as the word for son or child (zi 子).

Hallmarked with Chinese silver marks (900+ standard), Makers mark CS for Cum Shing, Old China street, Canton (active 1775-1895). Probably one of the best known Cantonese retail silversmiths of the 19th century. For more information please see A.Von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, 4th edition 2015.

CONDITION

In Excellent Condition - No Damage.

SIZE

Height: 16cm
Width: 8cm
Combined Weight: 390g