Ref: W766
Archive item - not for sale
A Fine Chinese export silver tea kettle, burner and stand, c.1900, the compressed globular body set with an elegant 'S'-shaped spout and loop handle, heavily embossed and chased, the body with a scene of figures in a terraced garden surrounded by an abundance of flowering plants, rockwork, plantain and bamboo, all engaged in different pursuits, a group of robed men gathered around a table, a lady holding a fan and a child holding books accompanying a bearded man holding a staff, men kneeling on a rocky outcrop around a weiqi board; the scene interspersed with buildings including raised pavilions and tiled dwellings, the hinged cover with a bearded dragon finial, the looped handle in the form of two confronting dragons, together with a bamboo-form stand and burner, with punch mark on the kettle and burner of Luen Wo and Chinese character mark. SOLD
Dimensions:
Height: 32.5cm. (12 3/4 in.)
Condition:
Small dents to burner
Notes:
Note a Chinese silver kettle sold at Sothebys as lot 6 on 12/8/2020 for £18750
Luen Wo was an important retail silversmith based in Shanghai who also traded in jewellery, diamonds and embroideries. His work was of a very high quality similar to the standards of Wang Hing in Canton. He employed a large number of designers and artisans, such as Ning Zhao Ji. For academic discussions on the origin and history of Chinese silver items and the interaction of the European-Chinese trade see Philippa Glanville, Silver in England, (1987).
Provenance:
A Swedish deceased estate, acquired in the first half of the 20th century.
