A rare silver-gilt and blue enamel 'Eight Immortals' box and cover

19th century, signed Hui Yuan, Jiujiang, circa 1875-1895

Footnotes

十九世紀 約1875-1895 銀鎏金鏨胎填藍琺瑯八仙祝壽圖蓋盒
「紋銀」、「匯源」、「九江」款

The semi-translucent blue enamel on the present box is referred to as basse-taille, or guangfalang, a technique that was introduced to Guangdong enamel workshops in the 18th century, and used primarily during the Qianlong period. One of a pair of basins decorated in this technique, with gold and silver foil and transparent blue enamel on a copper body, which was sent as tribute from Guangzhou to Beijing, is illustrated by Chuimei Ho and Bennet Bronson in Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, London and New York, 2004, p.263, fig.341. Another example of a silver-gilt and blue enamel tripod incense burner, Qianlong mark and period, is in the Tai'an Museum, Shangdong, illustrated in Zhongguo jinyin boli falangqi quanji: 5: falangqi vol.1, Heibei, 2001, no.239.

According to the research by Andrien von Ferschit, Hui Yuan is identified as one of the four silversmiths in Jiujing, who created quality silver for the export market in the West as well as to affluent Chinese and foreign residents from the 17th to the 19th century, see Adrien von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, Catalogue of Makers' Marks, Glasglow, 2013, pp.8, 12 and 21.

此盒以銀鎏金為胎，鏨刻出花紋後，再填以半透明狀的藍色琺瑯釉，工藝十分精美。此工藝最早由廣州獨創，因此被稱為「廣琺瑯」。北京故宮清宮舊藏兩件清中期廣琺瑯貼金銀花卉紋洗，均為廣東地方官員進貢內廷的廣琺瑯器，見Chuimei Ho及Bennet Bronson著，《Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong》，倫敦及紐約，2004年，頁263，圖341。另見山東省泰安市博物館藏一件清乾隆銀鏨胎透明琺瑯八寶紋香爐，著錄於《中國金銀玻璃琺瑯器全集5：琺瑯器（一）》，河北，2001年，編號239。

根據Andrien von Ferschit研究，「匯源」為十九世紀位於江西省九江銀匠的商號，活躍於1875至1895年間，專門為海外市場以及內地富紳定做銀器，詳細討論，見皇甫安著，《oreign residents from the 17th to the 19th century, see Adrien von Ferscht,《Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, Catalogue of Makers' Marks》，格拉斯哥，2013年，頁8,12及21。