Pair of silver-gilt filigree boxes

China, 18th century

Diameter: 4 5/8 inches, 12 cm

These unusual boxes have been constructed almost entirely from filigree silver wire, which leads one to the assumption that they were made to perform some kind of perfuming function, perhaps to be filled with scented leaves. Jewellery and objects made from filigree silver were manufactured all over southern China and South East Asia, and the prolific Straits Chinese silversmiths were particularly known for employing twisted wire in their work. The unusual combination of filigree and repoussé techniques and the style of the dragons however, place the origin of these interesting boxes firmly in China.