Silver Box Embossed with Magpie Pattern

Song Dynasty.
If magpies stand on the plum blossom tree or take the plum blossom, it means that good news will come soon. The plum blossom is a symbol of noble character. These two elements combine with the literati, the scholar's aesthetic taste and the thought sentiment perfectly. And it shows their expectations for the future. The silver box is round and flat with three rings of ornamentation on the cover. The middle part of the box is decorated with a pair of magpies; the edge of the box is decorated with a circle of plum blossoms; the cover and edge of the box are decorated with petal patterns. The overall layout of the silver box is ingenious and reasonable. 'Zanhua' is one of the ancient Chinese traditional metal process. It means to use a hammer to hit different burins, forming concave and convex lines or outlines on the surface of jewrly. The change of design patterns make the single metal surface produce multi-level and three-dimensional decorative effect, which is full of artistic appeal.