λ A FINE CHINESE EXPORT SILVER THREE-PIECE TEA SERVICE.

Canton, Qing Dynasty, circa 1900, retailed by Wing Fat and Sing Fat.

Comprising a teapot, a milk jug and a twin handled covered sugar bowl, each of compressed globular form upon four chased acanthus scroll bracket feet reserved with a ring punched ground, the teapot with a curved spout with the junction formed as a dragon’s head constructed of two embossed sections with applied tubular whiskers, the handle formed as Chinese dragon inset with ivory insulators pinned to body, the upper terminal formed as the dragon’s head with cut sheet frill and applied tubular whiskers, this leading to an everted circular neck with chased gadrooned and scalloped rim and a hinged domed lid with an embossed scene of a Chinese dragon amidst clouds terminating in a detachable finial of a dragon’s head, similarly constructed, the bodies with embossed decoration of village figures amidst fir trees and houses, the milk jug with a crane observed by a scholar and the sugar bowl with a tiger mauling a Wu Song while others flee, the teapot embossed with the auspicious arrival of Laozi riding his blue ox through the Han valley before the commissioner Yinxi imploring him to write the Daode Jing, each with an embossed vacant shield shape cartouche to the side, the milk and sugar with gilt interior, each marked underneath with retailers’ marks SF and WF, the teapot and milk jug additionally with a numeral 90, each with artisan mark YE BO 葉伯, the teapot 23cm H, total weight 1235g. (5)

Provenance: From the collection of Frank Courtenay (--1934), acquired in China in the 1900s, thence gifted to Dorothy Bath on 12 June 1920 on her wedding day, thence by descent to the present owner.

清約1900年代 銀茶具一組三件

來源：Frank Courtenay 1900年代得於中國，1920年6月12日作為婚禮禮品贈予Dorothy Bath，後傳承至今。

We are grateful to Dr Adrien von Ferscht for informing us that this is the first noted occasion of the Cantonese workshop of Ye Bo supplying the retailers Wing Fat and Sing Fat, be that as together or separately. Ye Bo (Cantonese: Jip Baak] has been noted as supplying Wang Hing and Luen Wo, the two most prolific retailers within Chinese Export silver. Presently the connection between Wing Fat 永發 (Yong Fa), a retailer operating in Canton as well as Hong Kong, and Sing Fat 盛發 (Sheng Fa), a retailer operating in Canton as well as Shanghai, has not been established. Both retailers operated independently of each other however Wing Fat is a rarely encountered mark, whereas Sing Fat is quite plentiful. Current enquiry is underway to establish if a reason can be found why the two retailer’s marks is on scarce occasions found together.

*Please note this lot may be subject to CITES regulations.*

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