Cigarette case nickel-plated metal dragon relief Asian export

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Cigarette case in nickel-plated metal with hinged lid, Asian export work from the second half of the twentieth century. The front shows a five-clawed dragon in deep relief, surrounded by cloud motifs and flanked by two stylised characters. The relief is executed with finely detailed scales and claws emerging from a granulated background. The interior contains two curved metal clips that held cigarettes in place. The surface shows light traces of use and patina; the interior shows a uniform dark oxidation.

Cigarette cases of this type were produced in large numbers by workshops in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan between roughly 1960 and 1990, aimed at the Western souvenir market and at collectors of Asian motifs. The five-clawed dragon, linked in East Asian iconography to water, sky and imperial authority, formed a recurring motif in this export work that played to the Western fascination with Eastern symbolism. The production process consisted of pressing thin metal sheet over an engraved mould, followed by a nickel-plated finish that gave the silvery appearance without the cost of true silver plating. What began as a utilitarian object and souvenir took on a second life in later decades as a decorative collector's piece.