17th Century Chinese Gold Filigree.
My interest is primarily in European filigree objects, but I include these pieces in order to show the style and quality techniques of filigree work being made in China in the 17th Century so that comparisons can be made with European and South Asian productions.
In 1686, the government of Princess Sophia (16571704), who served as a regent to the infant tsars Ivan and Peter from 1682 to 1689, sent an embassy to the Chinese border to meet the Manchu rulers. The experienced diplomat Fyodor Alexevitch Golovin (1650 -1706), who spoke English and Latin, was appointed to head the mission. On the Chinese side, the Kangxi Emperor was represented by a high-ranking official, Prince Songgotu (1636-1703), uncle of the Emperor’s primary spouse.
In August 1689, a treaty was signed at Nerchinsk,
solidifying an agreement on unhindered and regular caravan trade and
establishing a border along the Gorbitsa (left tributary of the River Shilka)
and Argun rivers. Some sections of that 17th-century border still exist. The Treaty
of Nerchinsk was a historical milestone in China-Russia relations, determining
the course of diplomatic, economic and cultural ties between the two states for
many years.
Upon signing the Treaty of Nerchinsk, the rulers of China
and Russia exchanged official embassies, and sent valuable presents to each
other. As a gift from the Kangxi Emperor to the Russian Tsar, Golovin’s embassy
received “a saddle embroidered with gold imperial dragons, two small cups made
of chased gold of very fine workmanship and many pieces of Chinese silk, satin,
damask and gold and silk brocade.” These gifts have survived to this day and
are currently held in museums in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. A richly
decorated saddle, embroidered with images of four-clawed dragons, and a silk
saddlecloth were sent by the Chinese ruler as a sign of friendship and are
currently in the collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums’ Armory. The value of
the offering was also manifested in its symbolism: the Chinese character for
“saddle”, i£[an], is pronounced the same as $ [an] for “peace and tranquillity”.
The paired gold cups with saucers weighing
“68 zolotniks” have also survived. In the early 18th century, they
were transported to St. Peters burg and have been kept in the Hermitage from at
least the 1780s, which is confirmed by the earliest known museum inventory,
Catherine the Great’s “Inventory of 1789”. The cups are listed as “golden stoops”
of very fine workmanship with saucers. Each cup with a saucer was described
separately: “A saucer with a stoop of gold thread- work, with flowers and
snakes on the saucer, four sapphires and 30 small rubies encrusted in the
saucer and some empty places for stones.”
Images and information above from website -
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