Page 186 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

Gan Sheng could pull out all the stops and be
overtly Chinese, translating it into a comfortable
Western manner. These intricately reticulated
candlesticks [right] have pure Chinese
affiliations and could well have been influenced
by traditional “huangbiao” columns.

Gan Sheng obviously had an affinity for
candlesticks! - but Gan Sheng knew when it was
appropriate to make a dramatic statement; the
tea and coffee service [below] would be like
most other versions of the same set available at
the time, but marrying it with the large over tray
makes it a statement set.

While there is nothing particularly genius in
terms of creativity about this suite of silver, it is
more a case of knowing exactly when enough is
enough and Gan Sheng got it right while
maintaining a high quality. The set has been instilled with a delicacy that other similar sets of the period lacked.

Images courtesy of Wax Antiques, London; Christie’s, South Kensington, UK

http://chinese-export-silver.com Image Library Archive