A filigree casket, South China (?), The Philippines, Manila (?), 17th century
silver filigree
10.5 × 12.0 × 7.0 cm;
Weight: 226 gr
B256
Further images
A small rectangular filigree trunk shaped casket of scroll and openwork design. Round topped coffer of parallelepiped case, supported on four round feet, with two side handles and blossoming lotus flower lock. The dense decorative scheme covers the entirety of the case, consisting of juxtaposed rectangular plaques, each filled by a four-petalled flower, and outlined by double thread curved zigzagging bands. The filigree design employs thick square-section wire for the structural framework, in deliberate contrast to the fine twisted wires used for the infill.
The handles are designed as two large inverted and juxtaposed commas suspended from a hollowed ring. The casketstands on four rounded feet each formed by superimposed rounded corollae.
The filigree decoration of this unique and precious objectmay be regarded as characteristic of filigree produced for export by a Chinese artisan from southern China or the Philippines in the seventeenth century. Its substantial weight is likewise a defining feature of this production, standing in contrast to the lighter pieces produced in Goa[1].
[1] Crespo, Hugo Miguel, Jóias da Carreira da índia, p. 135
The handles are designed as two large inverted and juxtaposed commas suspended from a hollowed ring. The casketstands on four rounded feet each formed by superimposed rounded corollae.
The filigree decoration of this unique and precious objectmay be regarded as characteristic of filigree produced for export by a Chinese artisan from southern China or the Philippines in the seventeenth century. Its substantial weight is likewise a defining feature of this production, standing in contrast to the lighter pieces produced in Goa[1].
[1] Crespo, Hugo Miguel, Jóias da Carreira da índia, p. 135
Publications
BASSANI, Ezio, et al., Via Orientalis, Europalia 91 Portugal, Lisboa: F. Oriente, 1991, p.132
A small rectangular filigree trunk shaped casket of scroll andopenwork design. Round topped coffer of parallelepiped case, supported on four round feet, with two side handles and blossoming lotus flower lock. The dense decorative scheme covers the entirety of the case, consisting of juxtaposed rectangular plaques, each filled by a four-petalled flower, and outlined by double thread curved zigzagging bands. The filigree design employs thick square-section wire for the structural framework, in deliberate contrast to the fine twisted wires used for the infill.
The handles are designed as two large inverted and juxtaposed commas suspended from a hollowed ring. The casket stands on four rounded feet each formed by superimposed rounded corollae. The filigree decoration of this unique and precious object may be regarded as characteristic of filigree produced for export by a Chinese artisan from southern China or the Philippines in the seventeenth century. Its substantial weight is likewise a defining feature of this production, standing in contrast to the lighter pieces produced in Goa.
The handles are designed as two large inverted and juxtaposed commas suspended from a hollowed ring. The casket stands on four rounded feet each formed by superimposed rounded corollae. The filigree decoration of this unique and precious object may be regarded as characteristic of filigree produced for export by a Chinese artisan from southern China or the Philippines in the seventeenth century. Its substantial weight is likewise a defining feature of this production, standing in contrast to the lighter pieces produced in Goa.
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