Bidspirit auction | CHINESE SILVER BOX WITH DRAGONS

CHINESE SILVER BOX WITH DRAGONS - Qing Dynasty, Ca. 18th-20th century AD. A beautiful silver box with dragons of rectangular form, finely worked in high relief with two contesting a pearl amidst swirling clouds. The sides are decorated en suite with further dragons in pursuit of pearls above foliate scrolls. The meticulous chasing creates a vivid sense of movement and depth, while the dragons’ muscular bodies and billowing clouds exemplify the vigorous decorative style favoured in southern Chinese silverwork of the late Qing period. Such boxes were produced in Guangzhou (Canton) and later Shanghai by master silversmiths catering both to domestic patrons and to the export market. The dragons and flaming pearl motif symbolises imperial authority, strength, and prosperity, and its repetition here conveys auspicious wishes for success and longevity.Size: 200mm x 50mm; Weight: 1.01kgProvenance: Private UK Collection.This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.