Chinese Export Silver Bowl and Spoon

This delightful and extremely rare spoon and bowl pair exemplifies the remarkable artistry of Chinese export silver. Chinese silver pieces are renowned for their exceptional quality and unique designs, and the majority are entirely hand crafted. Today, many of these elaborate designs are housed in major museum collections, and remain a rarity on the market.

Beginning in the 18th century, silver workshops in China specialized in the manufacture of silver export pieces for Western audiences. Typically bearing motifs that were popular amongst Americans and Europeans such as dragons, bamboo and floral patterns, these charming pieces were all beautifully handcrafted with the utmost skill. Today, important pieces of Chinese export silver such as this one can be found in many of the major museum collections, and are highly valued amongst collectors.

The bowl boasts a fluid, undulating rim exquisitely engraved to depict bamboo, a motif which continues throughout the bowls body. Accompanying the bowl is a matching silver spoon, its handle intricately modeled as a vine with floral buds climbing upwards to its bowl, which seems to bloom with lovely applied buds and flowers.

The spoon features the mark of Wing Fat, a firm active in Hong Kong from 1875-1930 and Sing Fat, active in Canton & Shanghai from 1880-1930.

Circa 1900

Bowl: 7 3/4" high x 8 1/4" diameter
Spoon: 10 3/8" length