Pair of Chinese Silver-Gilt Hairpins set with Malachite

This very fine pair of single shaft hairpins (tsan or zan) is of gilded silver. The three-dimensional ends have long vases on stands and decorated on both sides with chrysanthemum blooms against a tooled background. The mouths of the vases are set with polished, oval-shaped green malachite cabochons. The long shafts are of flattened hollow gilded silver tubing which taper to a point.

The largest source of malachite are the Ural Mountains in Russia, and it is likely that the malachite for the hairpins was traded into China from this source.

Traditionally, the vase as a motif in China symbolised many virtues. They were an allusion to ‘peace’. In Buddhism, they were sacred urns that contained knowledge and intelligence. The vase might also represent the deity Guanyin and be deemed to hold the nectar of compassion.

The two hairpins here are especially beautiful. The gilded has softened with age and developed a delightful hue.