Mother of Pearl chips Set(16)

螺鈿籌碼系列(16)

Item number: A1295

Year: AD 1720-1840

Material: Shell

Provenance: Teutoburger Münzauktion GmbH 2023

This is a set of sixteen “Mother of Pearl chips,” exported from the Thirteen Hongs of Canton (Guangzhou) to Europe and America during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. The term raden refers to the decorative craft of polishing and engraving shells, a technique originating as early as the Shang and Zhou periods and reaching its technical peak in the Qing era. Gaming chips were typically sold in sets, with fish-shaped chips being the most common. Other shapes included circular, square, shuttle, and pagoda forms, each representing different denominations. Generally, circular chips held the highest denominations, while square chips had the lowest.

These chips often feature exquisite carvings; for example, fish-shaped chips display lifelike details of scales and eyes. Square and circular chips are typically adorned with geometric patterns, as well as motifs like birds at play, riverside landscapes, floral designs, and even custom-commissioned crests or emblems requested by European and American clients.

Before the Qing Empire was forced to open its ports following the Opium Wars, trade between China and the Western world operated under a system inherited from the Ming Dynasty, which restricted foreign trade to Guangzhou and required it to be conducted through designated intermediaries known as the “Thirteen Hongs.” These Mother of Pearl gaming chips were among the popular exports to Europe and America during the Qianlong period, facilitated by the Thirteen Hongs. In the 18th century, as living standards rose in Europe—led by Britain—card games became a popular social pastime, fuelling demand for chips with a distinct Chinese aesthetic. The British East India Company recognised the commercial potential of Mother of Pearl chips in Britain by AD 1720 and began procuring these compact yet highly profitable items from the Thirteen Hongs. Around AD 1784, with the arrival of America’s first trading vessel to China, the Empress of China, the Mother of Pearl gaming chips also entered the American market.

After AD 1840, as card games using gaming chips waned in popularity in Europe, the demand for Mother of Pearl chips gradually declined. During the Victorian era, these once-popular chips, now seen as exotic artefacts, found a new life as children’s toys or decorative items in Western homes. They served as relics of the cultural exchange and trade between China and the West in the 18th century.

物件編號: A1295

年代: 公元 1720-1840 年

材質: 貝殼

來源: 條頓堡錢幣拍賣 2023

這是一組總計十六枚，清代乾隆年間自廣州十三行外銷至歐美的「螺鈿籌碼」。螺鈿為商周時期以來，打磨和雕刻貝殼的裝飾工藝，於清代的技術達到高峰。籌碼多以整組出售，以魚形的籌碼最為常見，亦有圓形、方形、梭形和寶塔等不同的形狀，每一個形狀都代表不同面額的籌碼。一般而言，圓形籌碼面額最高，方形籌碼的面額最低。

這些籌碼多經過精美的雕刻，例如，魚形籌碼活靈活現的鱗片和眼睛細節，方形和圓形除了有幾何線條外，也常常雕刻雙鳥嬉戲圖、河岸風景圖、花草紋飾，甚至是歐美客戶委託的家徽等客製化圖騰。

清帝國在鴉片戰爭被迫開放港口以前，中國和歐美世界的貿易沿襲明朝舊制，僅限於廣州並且要委託名為「十三行」的指定中間商進行貿易。這批螺鈿籌碼正是乾隆年間，由十三行向歐美出口的熱銷商品。隨著公元18世紀起，以英國為首的歐洲世界生活水準提升，打牌成為當時社會的流行娛樂，對於兼具中國風格的籌碼需求上升。英國東印度公司自公元1720年起，發現螺鈿籌碼在英國的商機，開始向十三行採購這些不占空間卻有高額利潤的商品。大約在公元1784年，隨著美國第一艘「中國皇后號」商船來華，螺鈿籌碼也打開其在美國的市場。

然而公元1840年以後，隨著歐洲以籌碼進行的紙牌遊戲退流行後，螺鈿籌碼的銷量逐漸減少。在維多利亞時期，這些舊時的籌碼成為一種帶有異國風情的工藝品成為兒童玩具或者是歐美家庭的擺設，見證中國和西方在公元18世紀的交流和貿易。

類似/相同物件 請看:

紐西蘭 尼爾森省博物館 The Nelson Provincial Museum

https://collection.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/objects/186885/whist-markers

英國 育嬰堂博物館 Foundling Museum

https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/object/token-fish-shaped-gambling-token/

更多相關訊息請參考:

https://nw.guangzhoumuseum.cn/website_cn/web/Resource/findingsDetail.aspx?id=57

葉璐婷,〈清代螺鈿鑲嵌的應用及發展〉《洛陽市：牡丹》(2017),頁24-25