18th Century Chinese influenced Silver Filigree and Enamel Pot.

  Chinese influenced Silver Filigree and Enamel Pot.

18th Century.

H. 22 x Diam. 18 cms.

There continues to be much dispute as to the origin of many pieces of silver filigree which have obvious Chinese influence, but with no definite provenance.

There is no disputing the Chinese character of this pot but I leave it to the reader to suggest the place of manufacture.

 William Marsden in 1784 History of Sumatra included an extensive desc­rip­t­ion of gold and silver filig­ree work carried out in Sumatra, observing that: “there being no manu­f­acture in that part of the world, or elsewhere, that has been more ad­mired and cel­ebrated than the fine gold and silver filigree of Sum­at­ra. This indeed is the work of the Malayan inhab­itants. The local Chinese also make sil­ver fil­ig­ree which looks elegant but wants likewise the extraordinary delicacy of the Malayan work.”

This object from the excellent website of Dutch Dealers Zebregs Roell.

 

The dealers description -

H. 22 x Diam. 18 cm

 Note:

 The present basket is almost identical to a silver filigree basket also with soldered flowers and leaves however lacking the colourful blue and green enamels as in the present basket. In Een bijzondere doos van zilver-filigrain (Aziatische Kunst, 32ste jaargang, Nr. 4, December 2002) 

Jan van Campen attributes the basket to Indian and Chinese artisans working in Batavia. Jan Veenendaal (Asian Art and the Dutch Taste, Waanders Uitgevers and Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, 2014) on the other hand argues that this kind of silver filigree work is more likely to have been the work of Chinese and Malay silversmiths working in West Sumatra, Padang. 

However, the enamelling may have been done in Batavia. The present basket certainly is very similar to a filigree box with green enamelling, modelled on a Chinese example, from West Sumatra illustrated in Jan Veenendaal’s book (ill. 195 and 196).

https://www.zebregsroell.com/indonesian-archipelago-indonesian-art-for-sale

A smaller but similarly shaped silver filigree box but without enameling was with London  dealer Michael Backman.

He suggests Batavia.

Size 11 cms x 4.7cms.

Once again I am very grateful to Michael Backman for allowing me to use his photographs.

https://www.michaelbackmanltd.com/object/batavian-silver-filigree-box-cover/