Probably the greatest and
finest Chinese Export retailer, the company Wang Hing started trading in Canton
soon after 1842 with the end of the First Opium Wars. As with many Chinese retail
silversmiths, the trading name was a fictitious name chosen by the founding Lo
family for its auspicious invocations.
The company was probably
responsible for producing more Chinese Export Silver than any other Chinese
retail silversmith. The family are believed to have designed many pieces
personally, almost all of which were in the Chinese style, and to oversee the
manufacturing process. It was this family pride in maintaining a level of
quality that allowed the Wang Hing name to be synonymous with a consistency of
quality and style.
In the 1920’s Lo Hung Tong,
grandson of the founder, opened a shop at 10 Queen’s Road, Hong Kong and in
Shanghai. Wang Hing artworks became very popular among Western clients, who
often commissioned trophies and presentation pieces decorated with the
traditional Chinese motifs such as dragons, bamboo leaves and prunus blossoms.
The family remained in control of the company until 1941: with the Japanese
invasion of Hong Kong, the business ceased trading.
Please note photos are enlarged to show detail. Scale can be assessed by photo 11. Each spoon measures around 12 cms in length. the bowl is 4cms long by 2.2cms wide. Total weight of all four spoons is 62.6g.
It's unusual to find a set of Wang Hing spoons in their original case. This will no doubt be of great interest to a collector.