ANTIQUE 19thC CHINESE EXPORT SOLID SILVER TEA SET, WOSHING, SHANGHAI c.1890
19th Century Chinese Export silver four piece tea set, comprising of a coffee pot, teapot, sugar bowl, milk jug, each bulbous shaped body beautifully chased with cherry blossom amongst bamboo on a matted surface, each fluted base resting on a decorative bamboo leave foot and is applied with an intricately modelled dragon handles and finials.
Hallmarked with Chinese export marks, Artisan mark in HE CHANG 和昌 and Retailer WS for Woshing.
Reference Number: A6990
DESCRIPTION
Antique 19th Century Chinese Export solid silver four piece tea set, comprising of a coffee pot, teapot, sugar bowl, milk jug, each bulbous shaped body beautifully chased with cherry blossom amongst bamboo on a matted surface, each fluted base resting on a decorative bamboo leave foot and is applied with an intricately modelled dragon handles and finials, the set is simply of outstanding quality. Vase shaped cartooches engraved with elaborate initials.
Hallmarked with Chinese export marks, Artisan workshop mark: HE CHANG 和昌 [cantonese WO COENG] - at the time, the artisan name would have been known in Cantonese, not Mandarin as that workshop operated in Canton even though WO SHING was a Shanghai retailer. The style of this set is typically Canton-style.
Retailer WS for Woshing (Active c. 1850s - 1925) an important manufacturing and retailing silversmith in Shanghai and Canton. Common mistakes in the transliteration of Chinese silver marks in English caused several names for Woshing, such as Wo Shing, Woo Shing and Wah Shing.
Woshing silver is excellently crafted and was made in most of the patterns popular in the export market, such as bamboo, dragons, cranes, floral motifs. Apart from high-quality silverware, the firm was also famous for retailing luxury items in carved ivory, jade, gold and specialised in trophies and celebration silver.
Alongside with traditionally decorated silver tableware and flatware, of particular interest were pieces with creative and unconventional decors and forms. Bowls, tazzas, boxes in the modified Neo-classical manner were intricately crafted with realistically modelled birds, frogs and other animals in high relief. Such Woshing works are considered to be one of the most unusual among the Chinese export silver.
Although the full list of artisans working for the firm is impossible to make, it is well known that numerous Woshing silver pieces with outstanding enamels were created in cooperation with the respected silversmith Huang Qiu Ji. According to the scholar Adrien Von Ferscht, the firm was on top four of the most notable Chinese retail silversmiths in the 19th century alongside Wang Hing, Poh Hing and Chong Woo.
CONDITION
In Great Condition - No Damage.
SIZE
COFFEE POT
Height: 23cm
Width: 23 x 14cm
Weight: 745g
TEAPOT
Height: 18cm
Width: 24 x 15cm
Weight: 635g
SUGAR BOWL
Height: 10cm
Width: 17 x 13cm
Weight: 280g
CREAM JUG
Height: 8cm
Width: 14 x 10cm
Weight: 200g