Pair of small gilt silver two-pronged hairpins with very detailed depictions of Plum blossoms. Plum blossoms have five petals and are a symbol of the ‘Five Blessings’, Old Age, Health, Wealth, Love of Virtue and a Peaceful death. The quality of these hairpins is outstanding. They are marked Wen Yin (纹银) which means ‘silver’ and date from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Height 5.6 cm. Width 3.3 cm. Depth 0.2 cm.