Chinese Silver Silkworm & Mulberry Leaf Dish

This unusual Chinese silver dish is in the form of a mulberry leaf. Atop the leaf on one side is a silk worm, and on the other is a silk cocoon.

The silk and mulberry imagery continues to the reverse of the plate – its stands on three feet shaped as mulberries.

The silver is unmarked – there are no maker’s or other marks.

The surface has been tooled finely in a Tang-style fashion.

Silk production has been practiced in China for thousands of years. Silkworms feed on mulberry leaves and spin their cocoons, which are then boiled so that they will more easily unravel to access the silk thread.

Models of silkworms in jade and gilded bronze are known in Chinese art.

This is an unusual items of Chinese silver and tells the story of another of China’s great exports – silk.