Page 398 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht
P. 398
It was common among the Canton retail silversmiths that particular houses had a reputation for certain objects;
Khe Cheong seemed to have an affinity with silver boxes of all descriptions, use and size.
This glorious silver casket dates to circa 1860, carries the Khe Cheong mark and is in fact a large snuff box on
wheels that was made to grace a dining table. It was originally made for a captain of the Honourable East India
Company Regiments in Bombay and stayed with that family until the late 20th century when it sold at auction for
$34,000. The decoration is again an interesting mix the neo-classical, the high Victorian and Chinese styles; the
feet that cover the ingeniously concealed casters are hooves of
the fictitious Chinese mythical animal, the Qilin.
