Item number: X55

Year: AD 1956-1990

Material: Silver

Size: 128 x 53.6 mm

Weight: 56.73 g

Provenance: Private Collector, Taiwan, 2008

This is the larger of a pair of silver gourd-shaped vessels, analogous in form to a snuff bottle.

The gourd is a homophone for fulu (福祿) and has served as an auspicious symbol since antiquity. The surface of this object is polished, with motifs rendered through stamping or chiselling. The upper bulb features four characters in Simplified Chinese—duo (多), nan (男), zi (子), and shou (壽)—each enclosed within a circle. The interstices between the characters and the circles are filled with stippled ring-mats, with the inscriptions likely signifying aspirations for longevity and a flourishing lineage.

The lower bulb depicts lotus roots with flowers and leaves, a moth with outspread wings, and a goldfish viewed from above. These motifs collectively symbolise procreative abundance through the many seeds of the lotus, the high reproductive capacity of the moth, and the phonetic pun for “gold and jade filling the hall,” thereby echoing the inscriptions on the upper bulb. The void spaces between these patterns are similarly filled with stippled ring-mats.

The upper and lower boundaries of both bulbs are adorned with simple vine-and-leaf scrolls, which may further represent longevity and the proliferation of offspring. A central collar sits between the two bulbs, with a split ring attached to either side. One ring is connected to a chain linked to the upper vine-shaped stopper. When the vine section is lifted, it reveals a plug-like attachment.

The base is concave to facilitate stable display. At its centre is a square seal containing what appears to be four characters, though only the Simplified Chinese characters fushun (福順) are discernible; these likely pertain to a commercial firm or silversmith mark.

The precise function of this gourd vessel remains ambiguous. If intended for liquids, it would be difficult to seal hermetically; if for solids, it would be challenging to fill, extract, or clean. Its morphology resembles certain snuff bottles from the late Qing Dynasty and the Republican period, utilising the narrow neck and wide belly of the gourd form to preserve fragrances. Although shou and shun have existed as common folk variants (suzidi 俗字體) since the Song and Yuan Dynasties, they appeared infrequently on carved or engraved artefacts prior to the promulgation of the Chinese Character Simplification Scheme in AD 1956. In AD 1956, under the Socialist Transformation of capitalists led by the Chinese Communist Party, private gold and silver workshops were mandated to merge into joint state-private enterprises. The majority of gold and silver wares were subsequently exchanged at banks or reclaimed and melted by the government. By AD 1966, all such enterprises were transitioned into state-owned entities under socialist public ownership. During the “Destroy the Four Olds” movement at the onset of the Cultural Revolution in AD 1966, snuff—then prevalent among the elite—was categorised as a decadent habit to be eradicated, making the survival of related industries highly improbable. Following the Reform and Opening-up in the AD 1980s, these industries gradually recovered; however, as industrialised cigarettes had already dominated the market, snuff could only be promoted through the lens of cultural creativity or as a health product.

物件編號: X55

年代: 公元 1956-1990 年

材料: 銀

尺寸: 128 x 53.6 mm

重量: 56.73 g

來源: 台灣私人收藏 2008

這是一對銀葫蘆中較大者，形制似鼻煙壺。

葫蘆諧音「福祿」，自古以來便是吉祥的象徵。此葫蘆的表面拋光，再以壓印或鏨刻描繪圖樣。上肚有簡體中文的「寿、多、男、子」四字，分別以圓圈包圍，圓圈與字間空隙填以小凹圓，文字可能寄寓長壽及子孫繁茂之意。

下肚分別為蓮藕花葉圖、展翅停駐的蛾、俯視優游的金魚。分別以蓮子的多產，蛾的繁殖能力、「金玉滿堂」的諧音，一同寄寓子孫繁茂，與上肚文字相呼應。各圖案間空處填以小凹圓。

上肚及下肚的上下邊界有簡單的藤葉狀紋飾，可能也是寓意長壽及子孫繁衍。上肚及下肚間有一環，環的兩側各扣接一鑰匙圈。其中之一連接鐵鍊，鐵鍊則與上端葫蘆藤處相連，拔起葫蘆藤，其下則為塞子狀。

底部凹陷，利於擺設。中央有方印，似有四字，僅辨識得簡體中文的「福顺」二字，或與商號相關。

此葫蘆容器的用途不明，若盛裝液體則難以密封，盛裝固體則難以填充及取用，且無論如何難以清洗。形制類似清末、民國以來一些鼻煙壺，取葫蘆型之窄口寬腹，易保存氣味。「寿、顺」雖均為宋元以來常見俗字，但公元1956年始頒布的《漢字簡化方案》前，較少出現在雕刻工藝品之上。公元1956年，中國共產黨為了對資本家進行社會主義改造，金銀店均須合併，進行公私合營。大多數金銀製品則經銀行兌換或由政府回收融化。公元1966年，所有公私合營企業轉為社會主義全民所有制，收歸國有。公元1966年的文化大革命初期的「破四舊」運動，將盛行於權貴間的鼻煙列為要破除的陋習之一，相關產業大概極難倖存。公元1980年代後，相關產業因改革開放而逐漸回復，但由於工業化的捲菸已佔據市場，鼻煙只能以文創或保健品的角度來進行推廣。