Chinese Export Silver Spoon with Dragon and Cloud Motif
Late Qing Dynasty — c. 1880–1910
- Material
- Sterling silver
- Use
- Tablespoon
- Century
- 19th century CE
- Size
- Large
- Provenance
- Owner's collection
Dimensions2 measurements
- Overall length
- 20.5 cm
- Overall width
- 4.2 cm
Catalogue Note
A handsome tablespoon of substantial weight and refined execution, the handle elaborately chased with a sinuous dragon amidst scrolling clouds and formal flourishes in the Chinese export style. The bowl is deeply bowled and shows an even patina consistent with age; the handle displays the crisp definition of mid-to-late nineteenth-century chasing work. Minor surface wear and oxidation appropriate to its period and use, without damage or repairs.
Spoon Lore
Chinese export silver, produced in Shanghai, Canton, and other treaty ports for Western merchants and collectors from the 1840s onwards, is prized for its exceptional fineness and exotic imagery — dragons, phoenixes, and cloud scrollwork — that appealed to Victorian taste and remain highly collectible today.
From the collection of
Anna Petrov