Adrien Von Ferscht 皇甫安 Email & Phone Number

Glasgow, Gb

Beijing, China

Beijing, China

Qing Dynasty Silver [aka Chinese Export Silver] is a uniquely effective vehicle with which to demonstrate what is a very complex Chinese history at any point in that timeline and, unlike its European parallels, it is inextricably linked to China’s important place in international trade.An item of Qing Dynasty Silver [aka: Chinese export silver] is almost always never simply just a piece of silver; it encapsulates a rich cultural narrative as well as being an item of beauty, immense craftsmanship and extraordinary creativity. Humour is also very much attached to this silver category - in so many items, the joy the silversmith experienced in the making manifests itself in the decoration to the point where it is palpable.

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

“CHINESE EXPORT SILVER 1685-1940 - The Ultimate Guide”______________________________________Cataloguing of circa 500 silversmiths, silver-making workshops and retail silversmiths operating in imperial and republic era China in the 18th, 19th and first half of the 20th century+A detailed introduction and explanation of this unique, diverse and much mis-understood silver category “FROM HAN TO ETERNITY - The Epic 2200-year Story of Chinese Silver” told through the through the eyes of an important private collection of Qing Dynasty silver.______________________________________As one of the world’s oldest surviving civilisation, China may not be widely perceived as having been a historic producer of decorative silver wares, but the reality is it has a heritage of silver-making longer than most nations - 2200 years to be exact. “The Narrative of Extensive Fountains”__________________________________________AN IMPORTANT RESEARCH PROJECT, aiming to create an ‘alternative’ perspective of the American involvement in 18th & 19th century China Trade in the context of that trade phenomenon and a nascent independent American nation.The American Factory at Canton, as with all of the foreign factories, bore a Chinese name; the “Hong of Extensive Fountains” “Chinoiserie - a very Scottish Style”__________________________________________The progenitors of the Chinoiserie style were predominantly Scottish, mostly from Edinburgh; the Chinoiserie style was, therefore, very much part of the Scottish Enlightenment“The Silver Palimpsest”________________________________________Rediscovering the lost cultural links between the Chinese and the Jews; a 2800-year Sino-Judaic cross-cultural exploration told through rare items of Chinese Qing Dynasty Silver Judaica

Glasgow, United Kingdom

One of my main focus is Chinese Export Silver, both as a research academic and as a consultant.While my research carries on at a pace, I use my website as a vehicle to convey knowledge and history of this highly significant silver category - I can think of no other silver category that is basically the jewel in the crown of 1200 years of silver-making by a nation that was introspective and obsessed with silver. As such, it carries so much ethnographic, socio-economic and creative arts history and serves as a good indicator of life in China from the Han to the Qing dynasties and how a definitive Chinese style evolved through absorption of the best of other influencing cultures to create something uniquely Sino-esque, yet rivaling the best of Western cultures.No other silver category was created as a direct result of political history and protectionism and that’s probably what makes this silver so fascinating. The fact the only major research into this subject globally is taking place in Scotland is groundbreaking in itself. The research highlights that Scottish sea merchants played a major part in creating this incredible and highly unique silver category - a fact of history that’s never really been brought to light. The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 and the 1844 lifting of restrictions on Scottish overseas trade; a remnant of the Act of Union – were the catalysts.