Page 259 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

E.WYON [HOACHING - E.Wyon was an incorrect assumption, historically]
Canton
circa 1835-1850

The mark of E.WYON has been a mystery ever since study of Chinese
Export Silver began in the 1960’s. While no image of the mark appeared,
reference was made to it in works by Crosby Forbes, Kernan and
Marlowe as “an unidentified Canton maker”.
Two early 19th century Chinese Export Silver teaspoons [circa 1835-40]
have come to light in the Yale University Art Gallery that bear the
E.WYON mark, As the images above clearly show, the retail silversmith
mark is that of Hoaching [circa 1825-1870]. What is even more interesting
is the artisan mark showing the name of Zhao Chang; interesting in as
much as we have evidence of this same silversmith working under the
Wang Hing and the Cum Shing names [both Canton retail silversmiths].

The identity of the “E.WYON” mark is partly resolved. The Wyon family
were a long illustrious line of silversmiths, diesinkers, mint experts and
plaque sculptors who originated in the German city of Cologne. In the
late 18th century and early 19th century, Thomas Wyon was engraver at
the Royal Mint in London. Later generations of Wyons also acted in the
same capacity in England, China, France and America.

There was an Edgar William Wyon, engraver and sculptor in bronze who
worked in London in the mid-19th century. William Wyon was responsible
for creating the dies for the “young Victoria” head on early Victorian
coinage. Another E. Wyon was charged with the management of the
Canton Mint in China by the Imperial Court! However, there were so many
Wyons in the “silver and coin trade” in Europe, China, India and even
America, that pinpointing exactly which E.Wyon this mark belongs to still eludes.

The E.Wyon/Hoaching combination of marks, however, is one of the rarest to be found in Chinese Export Silver.

Images courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery [The spoons were a gift of John D Kernan.]

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