An early 20th century Chinese Export silver three-piece tea service on a twin handled tray, Shanghai dated 1926 retailed by Zee Woo

Comprising a teapot, a milk jug, a twin handled covered sugar bowl and a twin handled tray. The teapot of compressed globular form upon a collet foot, the bamboo modelled curved spout opposite a bamboo modelled C scroll handle fitted with ivory insulators pinned to sockets, the hinged domed lid with detachable bamboo modelled finial. The bodies with embossed decoration of trailing Chinese dragons with wirework whiskers with a vacant circular cartouche forming the sacred pearl, all against a textured ground. The milk and sugar with a gilt interior. The tray of rectangular form with rounded corners and bamboo modelled twin handles, upon four hemispherical feet. Centred with a rectangular cartouche, engraved with a presentation inscription reading “To Mr and Mrs E. J. Davies with best wishes for your future happiness from Yangtszepoo Cotton Mill, Chinese Staff 1^st December 1926”. The field reserved with two flat chased trailing Chinese dragons, and the edge with four cast and applied Chinese dragons with two vacant circular cartouches forming the sacred pearl, otherwise all reserved with matted texturing. The tray marked to the reverse with retailers mark ZEEWO and an artisan mark twice SHANG 尚, the tea set each marked to the footrim with ZEEWO and a different artisan mark ZHONG 中. (4)

Tray length – 56.4 cm / 22.2 inches

Teapot length – 25.5 cm / 10 inches

Weight – 3006 grams / 96.65 ozt

Ivory de minimis pre-1947 declaration applied for: U9UCEB7X