Page 61 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

This seemingly pair of plates with vine and floral repoussé decoration not only carry two
different retail silversmith’s marks, but the artisan marks are clearly different too. The
plates are not identical twins - the plate pictured left in the previous picture shows the
repoussé work is deeper than that of the right-hand plate.

The left-hand plate again carries the Luen Wo retail mark and the right-hand plate the
retail mark of Hung Chong & Co; both Shanghai retailers.

The Luen Wo is coupled with the artisan silversmith’s mark Qiu Ji. This creates another
dilemma inasmuch as Qiu Ji was an important silversmith in his own right and was known
to have collaborated with both Wang Hing and Lock Hing which were neighbouring
competitor retail silversmiths located in Queen’s Road, Hong Kong. This raises the
question why a notable Shanghai retailer sought to either buy silver or commission from a
Hong Kong artisan silversmith. Sadly, the artisan mark on the Hung Chong plate is not
clear enough to decipher, so we are left with an unsolved conundrum.

Personally, I find these anomalies make the silver all the more interesting. Chinese Export
Silver is a complex silver category and this kind of situation accentuates the complexity of
the Chinese silver trade itself in the 19th century. That apart, they happen to be undeniably
exquisite frames and plates.

Illustrations courtesy of: Christie’s, London; Case Antiques Auctions & Appraisals, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA