A pair of silver dove drinking vessels (qu axhly). They are made by and purchased from Loge Nyuppu in Meigu County. Each dove consists of three parts: body, leg and wing. The techniques for making the silverwork mainly include engraving, swaging, bending, and soldering. The artist pounded silver into sheet first. Then he engraved the surface silver to create decoration by stamping (chase). He next cut the metal to the appropriate size and anneal it. The silver was shaped into the hollow of the block, probably by using a wooden mallet to strike the handle of pouch. Once the silver has been swaged, it is brought up the outside edge of the metal so that it will form a neat half-sphere of the dove's body. Finally, two identical piece of half-sphere of the dove's body are soldered together. The head and the body of the dove are covered with intricate feather design. A funnel shaped hole is made in the middle of the belly, which extends well into the hollow body. The top of the dove is flat, cut in the shape of wings and tail, and soldered on the back of the body. Rows of engraving pattern are decorated on the surface, including rows of arc, serration, feather, flower, circle, etc. The legs of the bird are bent to the shape of legs and feet, which also have engraved feather and lines on the toes. Two red stones (unable to identify) are set to serve as the eyes of the dove.
Use: To use the silver dove drinking vessels, one inserts a bamboo pipe into the hole underneath the belly and pours the liquor. The hole extends far enough into the cavity that the liquor in the vessel will not drip out when the vessel is turned right-side up. One drinks from a small hole at the beak.
See:
"Mountain Patterns" by Stevan Harrell, Bamo Qubumo, and Ma Erzi. 2000.
Fig 5.2, pg 38.