Highly unusual peach-shaped Chinese silver dish by silversmith CumWo, active in Hong Kong between 1860-1920. Featuring chased decoration depicting a landscape scene with two figures. Other half is inscribed with verses from ‘Yue Yao Ge’ or ‘Oaths of Friendship’ by an anonymous Han Dynasty author. Inscription reads ‘You take the chariot, I wear a hat, get off the chariot when we meet someday’. This basically means ‘If in the future you are riding in a chariot and I am still a commoner wearing a bamboo hat, you will get out of the chariot and say hello to me when we meet’ and describes deep friendship that remains unchanged regardless of wealth or poverty.
Dimensions: approx. 9×9 cm
Weight: 35 g
