Page 975 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht
P. 975
ZHAO CHANG
Canton
circa 1840-1875
Zhao Chang was a much sought after master silversmith operating in Canton. Documentary evidence tells us he
manufactured items for the retail silversmiths Hoaching [see illustration of spoon below]; Cum Shing; Wang
Hing & Company [see swing handle basket below].
It is not clear whether he ran his own workshop or whether he created silver for different retailers on an
itinerant basis; the former is probably the most likely given the quality of work he produced which ranged from
neo-classical “Georgian” and provincial Georgian to the mid-late19th century high Sino-Victoriana style.
Zhao Chang now forms a focus for further research, given his work demonstrates an extraordinarily high level
of quality and mastery of the art of silversmithing.
It is not understood why the Hoaching
spoon [above] by Zhao Chang carries a
mark for E.Wyon. The Wyon family were a
long line of silversmiths that date back to
the Hanoverian George II [17th century].
Images courtesy of Yale University Art
Gallery; Danny Cheng, Hong Kong.
http://chinese-export-silver.com Image Library Archive
