Chinese Export Silver Hors D'oeuvre Dish - Antique Circa 1900

This exceptional antique Chinese Export Silver (CES) hors d'oeuvre dish has an unusual shaped form onto five scrolling bracket style feet.

The two rectangular rounded antique dishes are embellished with impressive engraved bamboo stalk ornamentation to the surface.

The raised rounded incurved borders are further ornamented with broad paralleling pierced and embossed decorated upper rims, accented with undulating iconic dragon motifs and incorporating fire bordered vacant cartouches.

These two vessels flank a third antique silver dish with a scallop shell-shaped form, with the umbo of the shell embellished with a plain paralleling border.

This exceptional Chinese silver hors d'oeuvre dish is fitted with an impressive silver three-dimensional scrolling dragon shaped handpiece; the dragon's front legs conjoin with the two rectangular dishes, with the shell dish in front of its chest.

The CES silver feet bear bifurcating scrolling lower portions.

The hallmarks struck to the surface of this impressive dish include:

Maker's mark: WH (Wang Hing & Co)

Silver quality/purity mark: 90 (90 standard, 900/1000)

Character mark: HE CHANG [Cantonese WO COENG], Canton & Hong Kong

NOTE: We are grateful to Adrien von Ferscht for his help in identifying this exceptional antique piece.

These antique Chinese silver dragon dishes are an exceptional gauge of silver, exceptional quality and in exceptional presentation condition.

The pierced and embossed decoration is very sharp and the engraved ornamentation is very crisp.

The hallmarks struck to the surface of the shell-shaped dish are all very clear; the hallmarks are struck deeply due to the exceptional gauge of silver.

Reflections in photographs may detract from the true representation of this piece of antique Chinese Export Silver.

Overall

Length back to front 21.6cm/8.5"

Width 30.5cm/12"

Height 11.1cm/4.4"

Rectangular Dish

Length 17.4cm/6.9"

Width 10.8cm/4.3"

Length of well 12cm/4.7"

Width of well 5.9cm/2.3"

Height 2.2cm/0.9"

Shell Dish

Length back to front 10cm/3.9"

Width 10.3cm/4.1"

Height 2.5cm/1"

17.2 troy ounces/536g