CHINESE CANTON SILVER FOOTED DRAGON BOWL
maker: Sing Fat, three hallmarks: a Chinese glyph; SF and 90
a finely chased dragon encircles the bowl, 7"h; 10.5"diam.; 49 troy oz.
With a copy of a c. 1950's detailed letter to her nephew from Aunt Helen who lived in China, her husband working for a major American oil company there in the 1920's and 30's. They received the bowl (along with lot 279B) as a wedding gift from her husband's boss.
Prov.: The estate of the nephew of Aunt Helen.
"...And about the silver bowls - they were our wedding present from Ben's boss-Fritz Tyson and his wife, and from the Steeles, who were also in the office. The Tyson's gave us the large one, and the Steeles, the two smaller. They were made by the "number one" silversmith in Canton, whose name, I think was Wong Ming. I have tried to read it on some of the silver here, but the Chinese silver is so pure that's it's soft and wears off more easily than foreign silver which has hardening elements mixed into it. When Fritz ordered the bowl, he had Wong Ming come to the office to weigh out the 20 cent pieces which were to be melted and used for the bowl. He selected the size of the bowl, and then they weighed out the coins until the right number came up, being sure that none were counterfeit. The same was done for the smaller bowls. It sounds crazy, but the Chinese monetary system was not an exact one, and that is the way things were done in the past. You see, the bowls are not antique, but they bear their own interesting story..."
Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000
Realized: $4,750 - Excluding Buyer's Premium
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Lot 279A : CHINESE CANTON SILVER FOOTED DRAGON BOWL
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