Posted by Adrien von Ferscht on November 5, 2013 · Leave a Comment
It is equally perplexing to find the origins of the object we know as a “tazza” as to understand why Chinese silversmiths during the Chinese Export Silver period [1785-1940] both excelled at and took such obvious delight in making. The word itself means a cup of a vessel and is derived from the Persian […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adrien von Ferscht, China, chinese export silver, Christopher Hunter, Egyptian Ptolemaic Court, Emperor Vespasian, Genghis Khan, London, Meta Museum, Morgan Aldobrandini, Scottish Centre for China Research, Silver Tazza, Sung Dynasty, Tarmashirin Khan, Tazza, Tazza Farnese, University of Glasgow, Wang Hing
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER: Lustrous Beacons of Excellence 中國出口銀器: 明亮的卓越之燈塔 Chinese Export Silver is without doubt the most mysterious silver category the world ever saw. Only now, over 70 years after it faded into obscurity, are we beginning to understand some of the many enigmas; it’s the stuff of movies! As a silver category, […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adrien von Ferscht, China, chinese export silver, Christopher Hunter, English Georgian, Gan Sheng, Hong Kong, London, Meta Museum, Osterley Park House, Robert Adam, Sheng Yuan, Sing Fat
Posted by Adrien von Ferscht on September 21, 2013 · Leave a Comment
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER: The Ultimate Tea Ceremony 中國出口銀器: 終極茶道 Chinese Export Silver was very much a product of the China Trade which in itself was a phenomenon born out of the long-established silk and tea trades between China and the West. Tea, like silver, is very much embedded into the Chinese psyche. Unlike in China, […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adrien von Ferscht, Beverly Hills, chinese export silver, Christopher Hunter, Hong Kong, Luen Wo, Meta Museum, Scottish Centre for China Research, Sheng Yuan, Sing Fat, Sun Shing, Tu Mao Xing, University of Glasgow
Posted by Adrien von Ferscht on September 7, 2013 · Leave a Comment
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER GETS THE BLUES 中國出口銀器也憂鬱 The striking iridescent blue of kingfisher feathers have been highly prized in China for at least 2500 years. Their widespread use in hair ornaments and jewellery gave rise to their being acknowledged as symbols of feminine beauty, while the sheer reality that a kingfisher is an extremely small […]
Chinese Export Silver produced some extraordinary silversmiths by anyone’s standards; a much-used statement by me and one I am oft criticised about. There is an unwritten hierarchy of perceived best makers in the Western world in the 18th and 19th centuries; sadly, Chinese silversmiths were not even considered eligible to this exclusive virtual club. Chinese […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adrien von Ferscht, Art Nouveau Secessionist, China, chinese export silver, Christopher Hunter, Classic Chinese, Haig Whisky Dimple, Hong Kong, Luen Hing, Tai Ping, Wang Hing, Yu Chang, Yun Chien
Posted by Adrien von Ferscht on August 5, 2013 · 1 Comment
One of the many advantages of being known as carrying out in-depth research into Chinese Export Silver and its complex history is that I receive a huge number of images from people from around the world. The volume has increased as readership grows; a noticeable spike in the graph occurred when I began collaborating with […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adam Partridge Auctioneers, Adrien von Ferscht, Cheng Du, chinese export silver, Christopher Hunter, KHC, Khe Cheong, Li Sheng, Luen Wo, Meta Museum, Wang Hing, Yi Tai
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER FOR THE ISLAMIC WORLD 伊斯蘭世界的中國出口銀器. It was back in 2012 that I first wrote an article about Chinese Export Silver that was clearly made for the Islamic world. A further year of research has brought to light much more information; what was already an interesting niche in an even more interesting silver […]
Category meta museum · Tags Adrien von Ferscht, chinese export silver, Chinese Export Silver Makers' Marks, Chinese Jews, Christopher Hunter, Hong Kong, Islamic Silver, London, Meta Museum, Rosewater Sprinklers, Silver Filigree, Singapore, St Petersburg
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER: FIRMLY FOOTED IN CHINESE MYTHOLOGY 中國出口銀器: 牢牢紮根於中國神話 All cultures have their own mythological hoofed beasts. The Etruscans had their minotaur, European mythology has its unicorn, in Hebrew mythology there is the re’em and in Egyptian lore there is the cerberus. In China there is the Qílín [pronounced Chhi-lin]. Antique silver and furniture have […]
I realise that many of the regular readers of my weekly articles might be thinking I’ve lost the plot by the title of this piece, but bear with me and all will be made clear, bizarre as it may seem at first glance! What we know as The China Trade began in 1757, when by […]
CHINESE EXPORT SILVER FLORAL TOURS DE FORCE 中國出口銀器上的花卉杰作 I have decided I must be a very privileged person. Not only am I constantly viewing outstanding items of silver as my academic research progresses at a pace, but I get to see so many spectacular examples of Chinese Export Silver that people from all around the […]
Category meta museum · Tags chinese export silver, Chinese Export Silversmiths, Christopher Hunter, Cum Shing, Hong Kong, London, Sai Street, Singapore, St James, Wang Hing, Zetland House
