Silver and enamel. China, late Qing, 19th cent.
Extraordinarily fine filigree openwork! The decor motifs are largely floral with the exception of two stylized characters and two zoomorphic guardian masks with rings in their mouths. The characters read shou, meaning long life. On the openwork bottom are four lingzhi bearing the same meaning. They are rendered in blue enamel, the contours meticulously twined.
HEIGHT 3,6 CM, DIAMETER 5,5 CM
From a German private collection