Page 81 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

THE IMPORTANCE OF PAKTONG

Paktong is sadly relegated by many to the backwaters of insignificance and it simply
doesn’t belong there. Some of the finest pieces of metalwork have been created using it
over the past 250 years.

Paktong [“pai-tung” or “Baitong”] is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc that resembles
silver; unlike silver, Paktong is slow to tarnish and wears well. Paktong was first imported
th
th
into England from China and was used in the former during the 18 century and early 19
for making candlesticks, fenders, grates and other articles that generally would require a
good deal of regular polishing; fenders and grates in particular.

Paktong is also known more commonly in Europe as Alpaca, where it is also sometimes
known as “tutenag” or “tutenage” – a derivative of the French word “toutenage”. Paktong
was first used in China as a substitute for silver; at the time it was never considered an
inferior material to silver and many high quality and intricate items appear regularly today
in auction houses, occasionally referred to as “white metal”. Such items often speak for
themselves and were obviously as highly coveted and sought after as their silver
counterparts at the time of manufacture. Paktong made its way into Europe through traded
goods, where it was initially marketed as ‘white copper’. In the 18th century, several
German companies adopted the use of a similar alloy, and in 1823 a competition was held
to discover which alloy was the best silver imitation. Berndorf, a German manufacturer,
sold their nickel silver products under the name Alpaca silver and the term became
commonly used throughout Europe.
In China, high quality Paktong items were
made in tandem with early Chinese Export
Silver items and, as with the latter, made their
way to Europe and America.

This pair of mid-18th century Paktong
candlesticks were made in Hankow which
was the manufacturing centre of Paktong
since the 17th century. The importance of
these candlesticks was recognised when they
appeared in auction at the prestigious Mallett
& Co in a New York sale.

English silversmiths such as Matthew Boulton
and Paul de Lamerie saw the potential for
making candlesticks and other goods from
Paktong as the metal could be cast, took a
high polish and was slow to tarnish. Robert
Adam designed Paktong fire grates for Syon
House and a 1782 inventory of Osterley Park
House records the fire grate, fender and fire
irons as being of Paktong.