Canton circa 1860, retailed by Khe Cheong
A rare mid-19th century Chinese export silver mug

Qing dynasty, of tapering cylindrical form with reeded rims, the handle formed as Chinese dragon with horns and a textured body. The body with chased figural decoration of a battle scene with warriors on horseback, against figures on castle walls, mountainscape, and two figures in a boat. The front with an oval cartouche engraved with a crest, apparently a bust of a man with ribbon tied around his heads, his ear’s formed as a cockatrice’s wings. Double skinned, gilt interior. Marked underneath with retailers’ mark KHC, pseudo duty mark, pseudo town mark, and an artisan mark ?昌 (? CHANG).

Height – 12.2 cm / 4.75 inches

Weight – 427 grams / 13.73 ozt

Halford Wotton Hewitt (1871-1949) of Hardwick Manor, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, son of Sir Thomas Hewitt (1837-1923) and Dame Fanny Dugard Powles (1851-1924), he married Mildred Isobel Castle (b.1870) on the 10^th July 1894. He was a barrister. Thence by descent.

The crest is unidentified

The retailing firm of Khe Cheong was one of the most prominent from the early and middle decades of the 19^th century, especially for wares in the directly English taste referred to as the China Trade period. It is around the 1850’s and 60’s that the typically “Chinese” aesthetic appears in such wares. Khe Cheong operating from 2 Old China Street, Canton and Club Street, Honam Island, Canton.

For a presentation baptismal cup dated 1867, marked for this retailer illustrated Kwan. S. (2018) Chinese Export Silver – The Muwen Tang Collection. Hong Kong: Muwen Tang Fine Arts Publication Ltd. p. 162-163, f.162. This 1867 cup sold Bonham’s New Bond Street, 19 June 2013, lot 100 (£15,000 incl. prem). The 1867 example with the same KHC retailer's mark and a different stylised ideogram mark, is evidently a transition away from pseudo-English type hallmarks would place the present lot around 1860. The ideogram mark on the 1867 cup may be read as Ji Gu, this mark and KHC are found upon a tea urn illustrated: Devereux Kernan, K. (1985), The Chait Collection of Chinese Export Silver. New York: Chait Galleries. P. 104-105, f. 98. The dragon on this mug lacks the cut frills around the neck, a style associated with earlier models, there are dated examples of 1860’s mugs by other makers where frills are present on the dragons, such as one of 1869 and retailed by Khe Cheong, sold these rooms, 11 Oct 2023, lot 163 (£5250 incl. prem).