Qing Dynasty Mandarin Sleeve Buckle

I had only seen one of these outside of a book illustration and now lucky enough to see another one! a Qing Dynasty Mandarin Sleeve Buckle – very special! A Mandarin Scholar would use Silver Buckles to keep the flowing long sleeves of his gown impeding his painting or calligraphy work.

The buckle consists of 2 rectilinear sections curved to follow the arm & bunched sleeve contour. One half would be sewn to the top of the outside of the sleeve – you can see the piercings for the thread, the other piece sewn just above the cuff. The sleeve could then be gathered up & the 2 parts clipped together curving over the folds holding the sleeve clear so it didn’t smear the ink or paint as he worked. This is a lovely piece, tests high silver & was heavily gilded, as was typical of these pieces.

The gilding is still in good condition. The complex & heavily embossed design has a central Sacrificial Urn flanked by a pair of Kylin, one of my favourite creatures, for good fortune, prosperity, and harmony, lots of other auspicious symbology the clips work well & the curved form is intact – occasionally these have been flattened out in the mistaken belief they are a belt buckle that’s got bent. This one is a heavy & ornate high status piece. 11 x 6.5cms / 4 ¼ x 2 ½ ins when fastened 78g Very Rare & in lovely condition Reference Illustrations from Margaret Duda’s excellent Four Centuries of Silver

Postage with Tracking – contact me for alternatives, combined shipping also possible
Local ( France) 12€
Europe 15€
Rest of World 25€
Taxes etc payable by Buyer if incurred.
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