Author Adrien von Ferscht notes of the upside down stylized bats that "the Chinese name for a bat is fu. There is also a Chinese word fu, meaning happiness. A bat flying upside down is known as dao; there is a Chinese word, dao, meaning “to have arrived”. An upside down bat therefore imparts the meaning of “happiness has arrived”. “A bat descending from the sky” translates as fuzi tianlai; “happiness descends from heaven translates as “fuzi tianlai” - which sounds exactly the same - a homonym." He further explains that " The crane finial - a crane he - is the king of the birds in Chinese lore. The crane bird is believed to live for centuries, therefore symbolizes longevity. This crane is standing on a rock; this symbolizes attaining the highest civil rank. The Chinese word for “standing alone”, duli is a rebus with duli, which means “ to achieve something by oneself”. The prunus “ears” of the censer have a pair of magpies - known as que he meihua - Magpies are bringers of joy, often in the form of married bliss. They are usually depicted in pairs. When combined with plum blossom, as here, they can have sexual connotations, but can also mean ‘happiness up to your eyebrows’ xi shang mei shao more simply “be radiant with joy". In Chinese lore, magpies are considered messengers of joy and are often shown in pairs."

We are grateful to Adrien von Ferscht for identifying the artisan workshop. For further information please see Adrien von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940 – The Definitive Collectors’ Guide, 4th Edition, Glasgow and Beijing, January 2015.