Page 415 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

This large oval galleried tray has a lake or river scene with an island [slightly left of centre] and a building on it
that is labelled “The General’s House”. The execution of the scene is extraordinarily high with subtle texture
changes that form the clouds in the sky.
An inscription on the reverse side of the tray reads:

HAB TO OA 1903
OA TO MHA 1939

relating to Sir Henry Arthur Blake, Governor of Hong Kong 1898-1904. “OA” could be Olive Arbuthnot, who was
the daughter of Sir Henry Blake and whose wedding day was June 1903. There is an Arbuthnot Road in Hong
Kong to this day.

This early 20th century bowl with lotus petal shaped rim,
while simple in form and decoration it still presents as
an item of quality - exactly the same degree of quality
maintained in items made by Kwan Hing for other retail
silversmiths.