THE TALE OF A CHINESE EXPORT SILVER HIDDEN GEM

                                                                                       中國出口銀隱藏寶石的那些事兒

A New York based Worthpoint reader contacted me with images of a silver snuff box. I was instantly excited when I saw the images; I knew this was going to be a gem in the making!

When I first saw the box, it screamed “Georgian” to me in almost every way other than the obvious decorative motifs employed. The silver colour the hinge mechanism and the general feel of the box is pure late 18^th century.

Here [above] we can see the decoration of the lid and the base, while below we can see the maker’s mark which has been placed inside the box.

Above, we see the detailing of the side decoration of this superb box.

The maker’s mark reads “Quan Quan” [全泉 ]; a maker that hitherto was unknown to me. The general style of the box gives a clue. There are obvious Western Georgian influences, yet the box has obviously been made in China. Canton seemed the natural assumption, it being the port in the late 18^th century where foreign trading posts were operating in conjunction with the Canton Cohongs – a period we now know as The China Trade. After some degree of research, I was able to establish that Quan Quan operated a small workshop in Canton circa 1790-1835, making him one of the earliest recorded Chinese Export Silver makers using a maker’s mark!

Given the whole nature of Canton at this period, I would hazard a guess this piece was commissioned by either one of the Massachusetts Bay merchants operating in Canton at the time. The box, I feel, has a more American Georgian feel to it than English or Scottish. The presence of Chinese-style motifs indicates the box is for someone who was used to or had a close relationship with China and its culture.

This snuff box is therefore a very rare piece of museum quality. Worthpoint was the catalyst that brought it to light.

Back in 2011, a Chinese Export Silver snuff box [below] achieved a stupendous hammer price of $8740 at Christie’s, South Kensington in London.

Unlike the Quan Quan snuff box, this box was unmarked but it contains and engraved inscription that dates it at 1818 and mentions Canton. The box weighs a mere 93gm, making this box worth, in silver weight terms, almost $94 a gram!

Chinese Export Silver snuff boxes are generally of high quality. This is probably due to the fact that many of them were commissioned by the foreign sea merchants operating in Canton, making them more personal objects to treasure and use, rather than speculative items to sell in the West.

Here [above] we have a Chinese Export Silver snuff box made by a Hong Kong maker known only as T.K.C. It is rare to find items from this maker and this box, superbly decorated in the high Chinese style was sold in London for $2000. The box weighs 75gm.

The Chinese Export Silver snuff box [above] is also in the high Chinese style, using  figures standing within a foliate motif on the lid and scrolling peony and foliage motif around the edge of the box. It was made by Lee Ching, a Chinese Export Silver maker who operated in Canton, Shanghai and Hong Kong. My research has shown the maker’s true name was actually Ching Li. He operated between 1840-1880. The box was sold at a prominent London dealer.

 While this Chinese Export Silver snuff box [above] was sold at Bonhams, London for $1000 this year. The box is unmarked

This article was written for WorthPoint and can be seen on this link: 

http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/tale-hidden-chinese-export-silver-gem

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adrien von Ferscht’s website is the largest online information resource for Chinese Export Silver: www.chinese-export-silver.com

His Catalogue of Chinese Export Silver Makers’ Marks [1785-1940] is the largest collector’s guide for Chinese Export Silver available, with information on 155 makers and 133 pages of in-depth history. It is updated every 6-8 months and is only available as a download file. The single purchase price acquires the Catalogue plus all subsequent editions free of charge. Adrien also encourages people to share images and ask questions. The Catalogue is available at:

http://chinese-export-silver.com/catalogue-of-makers-marks/

 _______________________________________________________________________________________________

 Acknowledgments to Danny Cheng in Hong Kong for his translation skills

To Rob Atkinson for images

To Daniel Bexfield, London and Michael Backman, London

Bonhams, London and Christie’s South Kensington, London