Heavy Antique 19th Century Chinese Carved Jade-Mounted and Bejeweled & Repoussé Silver Tone Metal Back Hand Mirror 7.3"x4"

Details

Description

There is a dark spot on the mirror edge by the metal frame which is expected of such an old … Read more There is a dark spot on the mirror edge by the metal frame which is expected of such an old piece, it does not affect the overall look and quality. Please see picture for details. Not sure what metal is, could be silver plated brass or bronze.
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These type of mirrors were incredibly popular during the late Qing Dynasty through the Republic Period up until 1949. This particular piece stands out even among its peers based on its quality craftsmanship and rich exquisite design. There is so much to talk about as it is packed with design details. It has all the markings of an ultimate celebratory gift for high-status families.

1. The Central Jade Plaque
• Material: The large, pale greenish-white oval in the center is a carved nephrite jade plaque.

• The Carving: It features carved low-relief stylized peaches topped with an adorable winged bat.
In Chinese culture, the peach is a deeply revered symbol representing immortality, longevity, fertility, and springtime while the bat has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character blessing.

2. The Jeweled Silver Border (Repoussé an Chasing)

• The Metalwork: The dark, heavily textured border surrounding the jade plaque is worked in repoussé and chasing (hammering the metal from the reverse and front to create depth). The motif consists of dense, auspicious floral vines, standard in Chinese decorative arts. I am most impressed by the complex yet incredibly cohesive, high-quality layout of various Chinese culture symbols on this frame—the bamboo, the gourd, the flower basket, Fan and etc —reinforces the traditional chinese well wishes for happiness, fertility, property, longevity and blessing.

• The Gemstones: The frame is bezel-set with multi-colored, cabochon-cut (smooth, rounded) gemstones. In traditional Chinese export silver of this era, these are typically semi-precious stones such as tourmaline (the pink and olive-green stones), citrine or carnelian (the orange/yellow stone), and jadeite or chalcedony (the deeper green stone).

3. The Stylized mythical creature head" Ruyi Jade Hook Handle

• The Mythical Creature Motif: The tip of the Ruyi jade handle is carved into a high relief animal's head. It can a bird or even a dog's head, which animates the entire piece.

• The lower motifs. Of the two flowers, one appears to be the 5-petal plum flower while the other one is a lotus flower.

4. The double "Shou" chinese character open metalwork Connection

• The dark metal brackets are shaped into highly stylized "Shou" (壽) characters, which represent Longevity. The smith cleverly used these auspicious characters as functional structural clamps to bridge the mirror body to the jade handle. See less