ANTIQUE 19thC CHINESE EXPORT SILVER TWO-HANDLE CUP & COVER, LEE CHING c.1860

DESCRIPTION

Antique mid-19th Century Chinese export solid silver presentation cup & cover, of traditional shape and large size, the body is embossed with beautiful battle scenes in relief depicting Chinese warriors fighting amongst village landscape, applied with stylised dragon scroll handles, the cover embossed with dragons among clouds, dragon's head finial, standing on a domed spreading circular foot embossed with scrolling foliage, centred with a vacant shield cartooche. Hallmarked with indistinct Makers mark (possibly LC, for Lee Ching, 24a Queens Road, Hong Kong 30 Old China Street, Canton; Sai Hing Kai Street, Canton & Club Street, Honam Island, Canton Nanking Road, Shanghai, active 1830-1895. Later hallmarked with French import marks (swan).

Although, as it happens with the majority of the Chinese export silver makers, we don’t know the real identity of Leeching, it is easy to recognise the same high quality and fine design in all the pieces marked by the company. Leeching had shops both in Canton and Shanghai where he retailed luxury items, jewellery and silver, mainly presentation pieces, tankards and goblets very much sought after by the Western clientele.

Leeching early pieces imitate the European neoclassical style and can compete with the finest Paul Storr production and can be recognised just for the heavy weight. In the second half of the century, Leeching introduced traditional Chinese motifs to decorate its pieces (dragons, bamboo leaves and genre scenes), but always maintaining neoclassical forms. Scholar Adrien Von Ferscht describes Leeching artworks as monumental (see A. Von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, 4th edition 2015). The firm also supplied Hancocks, the silver retailer based in London who also worked for Queen Victoria.

CONDITION

In Great Condition - No Damage.

SIZE

Height: 30cm
Width: 25 x 13.5cm
Weight: 1025g