Silver for Tsingtao

From the estate of Bitburg engineer Heinrich Hildebrand (1855-1925), the Museum is presenting exceptional works created by Chinese silversmiths during the late Qing Dynasty (from 1644 to 1911). Between 1891 and 1908, Hildebrand constructed railway lines, factories and buildings all over China. He acquired scores of artworks for his residence in Tsingtao (today known as Qingdao), capital of the territory Kiaochow, which was leased by Imperial China to the German Empire. Most of his silverware was produced in the hinterland of Tsingtao around 1900.

Silver has been used to make works of art and jewellery in China since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771 – 256 B.C.). During the Tang Dynasty (617 – 906), the economic and cultural exchange facilitated by the Silk Roads led to a change in artistic metalwork techniques, whereby repoussé was used to adorn hammered silver. In the 18th century, the first silver objects were produced in Canton (today known as Guangzhou) for export to Europe. After the First Opium War (1839-1842), export silver emerged as a major industry in the treaty ports. The beautifully crafted silver of the late 19th century ultimately combines European receptacle forms with embellishment typical of Chinese gold and silversmith work, including motifs of plants and birds, mythological figures, theatre and literary scenes.

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