{"id":5591644700822,"title":"Antique Chinese Silver-gilt Card Case, China – Late 19th Century","handle":"antique-chinese-silver-gilt-card-case-china-late-19th-century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Chinese silver gilt card case has a pull-off lid and gilded interior. Decorative, well executed, repousse and chased panels grace the front and back, with a continuous floral and foliate design running around the thinnest side of the case.  The details and faces are clear and the background has been finely chiseled, producing a pleasing matte effect.  The case shows only the slightest signs of use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe front panel depicts scenes of domesticity with, to the upper part, two people cooking food around an oven, one figure holding chopsticks and the other a fan, with buildings, trees and a bridge in the background.  Lower down, three figures are walking towards a house, two carrying bowls.  A married woman, sweeping the floor with a broom, awaits them at the door of the house. Interestingly, the Mandarin character which represents a married woman, is a simplified and stylised representation of a woman sweeping the floor with a broom. The back panel depicts a grove of bamboo growing on a hill or mountainside.  The case does not bear a maker’s mark. A similar card case; not gilt and with some condition issues, was sold by Woolley \u0026amp; Wallis in 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn ancient Chinese art and literature, bamboo was greatly esteemed and viewed as symbolising traditional Chinese values, one of the reasons it was so frequently depicted in Chinese art. Since the time of the Song Dynasty, the Chinese have referred to the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum as the “four gentlemen” or the “four noble ones”, and pine, bamboo and plum as the “three friends in winter”. It was thought that the bamboo’s deep roots denoted resoluteness; the tall, straight stem, honour; its hollow interior, modesty and the clean, almost polished exterior of the sticks, chastity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e        UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                         Length 10 cms, width 7 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                  68 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBamboo, a symbol of traditional Chinese Culture, chinaculture.org, Beijing, 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eJanuary 2011\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWoolley \u0026amp; Wallis, Salisbury, Lot 638, Silver \u0026amp; Collectors’ Items, 25\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eJanuary 2012\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-08-09T16:49:10+01:00","created_at":"2020-08-09T16:49:08+01:00","vendor":"Joseph Cohen Antiques","type":"Card Case","tags":["Sold Archive"],"price":0,"price_min":0,"price_max":0,"available":false,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":35685700337814,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"JC-CARD-06901","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":true,"featured_image":null,"available":false,"name":"Antique Chinese Silver-gilt Card Case, China – Late 19th Century","public_title":null,"options":["Default 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Chinese silver gilt card case has a pull-off lid and gilded interior. Decorative, well executed, repousse and chased panels grace the front and back, with a continuous floral and foliate design running around the thinnest side of the case.  The details and faces are clear and the background has been finely chiseled, producing a pleasing matte effect.  The case shows only the slightest signs of use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe front panel depicts scenes of domesticity with, to the upper part, two people cooking food around an oven, one figure holding chopsticks and the other a fan, with buildings, trees and a bridge in the background.  Lower down, three figures are walking towards a house, two carrying bowls.  A married woman, sweeping the floor with a broom, awaits them at the door of the house. Interestingly, the Mandarin character which represents a married woman, is a simplified and stylised representation of a woman sweeping the floor with a broom. The back panel depicts a grove of bamboo growing on a hill or mountainside.  The case does not bear a maker’s mark. A similar card case; not gilt and with some condition issues, was sold by Woolley \u0026amp; Wallis in 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn ancient Chinese art and literature, bamboo was greatly esteemed and viewed as symbolising traditional Chinese values, one of the reasons it was so frequently depicted in Chinese art. Since the time of the Song Dynasty, the Chinese have referred to the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum as the “four gentlemen” or the “four noble ones”, and pine, bamboo and plum as the “three friends in winter”. It was thought that the bamboo’s deep roots denoted resoluteness; the tall, straight stem, honour; its hollow interior, modesty and the clean, almost polished exterior of the sticks, chastity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e        UK art market\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSize:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                         Length 10 cms, width 7 cms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWeight:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e                  68 grammes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eReferences:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBamboo, a symbol of traditional Chinese Culture, chinaculture.org, Beijing, 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eJanuary 2011\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWoolley \u0026amp; Wallis, Salisbury, Lot 638, Silver \u0026amp; Collectors’ Items, 25\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eJanuary 2012\u003c\/p\u003e"}