Page 686 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

T&C [aka TAYLOR & COMPANY]
Shanghai & Tientsin
circa 1880-1918

Taylor & Company were probably one of the most dubious
and most “colourful” of foreign traders in China in the late
19th century.

It was formed by a partnership of one F.W.Sutterlee who
miraculously became W.F. Sylvester upon arrival in
Tientsin, having fled a law suit against him; the other
person being a Louis Spitzel, a naturalised British Jew.
In polite company they were regarded as Western
compradors; in reality they were shady “facilitators” of
deals, many of which included the procuring of weapons
for various rebels operating in South East Asia. They even
represented the Emperor in transactions with America
and Britain.

When they weren’t gun-running, they turned their hands
to virtually anything, including representing Western
insurance companies and, the manufacturing of silver
items which it is believed they sold in Singapore,
Shanghai, Hong Kong and America.
Louis Spitzel died in 1906 but the last recorded entry in
the China Repository and the London Gazette was 1918.
Spitzel died a relatively wealthy man, leaving nothing to
his partner W.F. Sylvester.

The manufacturing silversmith Ning Zhao Ji of Shanghai
was a favourite source of silver that bore the T&C or
Taylor & Co mark, of which the crane bird tazza [left] is an
example.

The detailing on the feet of the bowl [following
illustrations] is quite extraordinary. I cannot recall ever
seeing this technique and design feature used on Chinese
silver, but it also seems to compliment the scaled body of
the dragon as it swirls close the the base of the bowl.