Straits Chinese Solid Silver Wine Ewer, 19th century

£2,400.00

Description

Straits Chinese Solid Silver Wine Ewer, 19th century
Decorated with elaborate and fantastical imagery, this remarkable solid silver wine ewer is an
excellent example of a type of object which were rarely encountered outside of the homes of
wealthy Straits born Chinese families.1 The Straits Settlements were British colonial territories of
settlements around British Malaya.2
‘Straits Chinese’ were Chinese born migrants based in
Southeast Asia, maintaining unique cultures which distinguished them from the indigenous
population. These communities settled in Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia,
establishing themselves in these lands predominantly in the 19th century.
3
Numerous figures, trees, temples, nāgas, a lion, branches, trees and blossoms decorate this
intricate work in silver.
Atop the lid of the ewer is a lion finial. Notable examples of Straits Chinese wine ewers have
lion finials on the top of their lids.4 Lions are important symbols within Buddhism, with the lion
established in early Buddhism as a symbol of Shakyamuni Buddha.
5 6 As a symbol of his
sovereignty, the Buddah’s throne is supported by eight lions. The lion on the lid of this ewer has
a circular shape under its front paw. A Chinese legend recounts that lionesses lactate through
their paws and that by passing hollow balls for their young to play with, the cubs could extract
milk.7
Around the wine ewer various figures are portrayed. Two figures wearing traditional clothing,
perhaps intended to be monks, are positioned in a temple setting. One sits in an entranceway of
the temple below the roof while the other is positioned beside the building beneath a blossom
tree. A votary, with a bowed head and standing on steps, faces the sheltered monk and holds an
object in both hands. Next to the figure standing beside the temple is another figure holding a fan
and standing below a tree. On the base of the ewer another man stands between a palm tree close
to a building and a tree with large blossoms. The emphasis of landscapes and figural scenes
7 Beer, pp. 63-64.
6 Paul K. Nietupski, Infinite Splendor, Infinite Light, The Bruce Walker ‘53 Collection of
Tibetan Religious Art, (Greencastle, Indiana: DePauw University, 2018), p. 57.
5 Robert Beer, The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols, (Chicago, Illinois: Serindia
Publications, Inc, 2003), p. 63.
4 Meng, p. 157-159.
3 Mark Ravinder Frost, ‘Transactional Diaspora: The Straits Chinese in Singapore,
1819-1918’, Asia Research Institute, ARI Working Paper, No. 10 (2003) 1-44 (pp. 1-2).
2 David Newman, ‘British Colonial Censorship Regimes: Hong Kong, Straits
Settlements, and Shanghai International Settlement 1916-1941’, Silencing Cinema: Film
Censorship Around the World, ed.by Daniel Biltereyst & Roel Vande Winkel (2013)
167-191 (p. 168).
1 HoWing Meng, Straits Chinese Silver, A Collector’s Guide, (Singapore: Times Book
International, 1984) p. 156.
indicate that this ewer was produced by master artisans in Southern China and sent to the Straits
for export.8
However, the most impressive element of the ewer is the handle. The entire handle is the body of
a nāga. Nāga in Sanscrit and Pāli means snake and in China they are represented as dragons. A
nāga inhabits underwater kingdoms and the roots of monumental trees, often with the intention
to protect treasure. These creatures are said to be under the command of Virupaksa, the god of
the west and they guard the Traystrimsa Heaven. There are times when they appear in the
audience of the Buddah, as detailed in the famous Lotus Sutra. Nāga may be benevolent or
malevolent and there were instances where they served to protect or shelter the Buddah.9
The entire length of the ewer’s handle represents a nāga. The remarkable texture of the nāga’s
scales is finely delicate, while the swirling whiskers and mane twist and blow wildly around its
face as if caught in a great storm. A Tibetan ewer inspired by Chinese design in the Victoria and
Albert Museum also has a handle which resembles a nāga, however that handle is not as
whimsical or as refined as this example.10 A similar creature’s head is at the base of the ewer’s
spout which protrudes from this monster’s open mouth. This is a common motif in Straits
Chinese wine ewers.11
This intricately detailed ewer, with its floral imagery, figures and representation of architecture,
lion finial and nāga handle and spout, is an excellent example of 19th century Straits Chinese
silver. With comparable examples in private collections published in academic literature,12
this
ewer would be a magnificent artefact for admirers, scholars and collectors of Straits Chinese
artefacts.

Measurements:

Width: 17cm

Height: 18.5cm

Weight: 342 grams

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Product REF: 10103