Birdcage hook – (7971)
[7971]

Acquired in 1991 in Shanghai, this hook came to us without the bird cage. It is shaped like a bamboo stem. The pronunciation of ‘Bamboo’, zhu, is a homophone for ‘to congratulate’ ( zhu 祝). Bamboo is a symbol of Longevity and Vitality because it can survive the hardest natural conditions and remains green all year round. It also represents the qualities of Durability, Strength, Flexibility and Resilience since it will bend in a storm but does not break. Surprising is that the color of the metal has not changed since we bought it. At first we thought that it was made of low grade silver but we now believe that the material used is Paktong also called Beitong or Nickel Silver. Paktong (白銅) literally means ‘White copper’ and was used to imitate sterling silver. In fact it contains about 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc and no silver at all. It was first known in China during the Qing period (1644 – 1912) before it became fashionable in the West. The hook dates from the end of the Qing (1644 – 1912) or early Republic period (1912 – 1947. Length 19.5 cm. Width hook 7.2 cm. Diameter ring 5.3 cm.
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