Product Description

Antique Chinese Bracelet

Material: Silver
Style: China
Size: Diameter 6 cm, Width 2 cm
Order Number: MHSACB1

During the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912) wealthy Chinese Han aristocracy, Mongol and rich minority women  loved and wore silver bracelets. Some were given as betrothal gifts. The minorities gave then as presents to their future wives.

They served as both as ornaments and status symbols. The wealthier the person, the more they owned. A rich woman often commissioned silversmiths to make them pieces and they were passed down from generation to generation.

There are Chinese characters.

The Sanxing (Three Stars) are the gods of the three celestial bodies considered essential in Chinese astrology and mythology: Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Canopus. They are Fu, Lu, and Shou.

Fu, Lu, and Shou are also the embodiments of Fortune (Fu), presiding over the planet Jupiter, Prosperity (Lu), presiding over Ursa Major,, and Longevity (Shou) presiding over Canopus.

They emerged from Chinese folk religion. Their representation as three, old, bearded, wise men dates back to the Ming dynasty, when the gods of the three stars were represented in human form for the first time.

Statues of these three gods are found on the facades of folk religion’s temples and ancestral shrines, in nearly every Chinese home and on small altars in shops with a glass of water, an orange or other auspicious offerings, especially during Chinese New Year.

Traditionally, they are arranged right to left (so Shou is on the left of the viewer, Lu in the middle, and Fu on the far right).

The clasp has a chain with a very small delicate key and heart hanging from it.

Early – Mid 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).