An amazing piece Chinese hand carved mother-of-pearl gaming counter.
Material by using the great quality mother-of-pearl, the old folk from Canton finished very detailed carving on the mop chip.
It's so hard to imagine how could the folk finish such kind carving work during the time without machine.
Especially for the background of the store monogram JH, by using the back-hatching skill, hard to distinguish each carving by human eyes.
It could be an unique gift for your lover, family, or friends. Some jewelry designer also like to choose this quality mop counter for a new creation.
Size: 71mm*27mm, Thickness: 2mm.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the 18th century all society people played cards including Queen Charlotte, the court and the nobility as well as the middle and poorer classes. Voltarete was the most popular game and also Pope Joan, Hombre and Quadrille.
Chinese gaming counters were available for all types of people, ranging in quality and price, from the counters made for the queen to the mass-produced counters made in Canton by the thousands.
They were always made of mother-of-pearl from shells from the Pacific Islands, cut, carved and decorated by hand to incredibly high standards. Later sets included to the reverse scenes of Chinese life, as this was when chinoiserie was all the rage.
***If you want to buy more one mother-of-pearl counters, please ask me for combined shipping to save postage***
Product code: Flower and Monogram Design, Large Size, Chinese Antique Gaming store Counter, circa1820-1840.