Early 20th Century Chinese Export Silver Tea Set with Original Box Zee Wo - 4 pcs

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A four piece Chinese export silver tea service set consists of a lidded teapot, a creamer with lid, an open … Read more A four piece Chinese export silver tea service set consists of a lidded teapot, a creamer with lid, an open sugar and a tongs. The set was retailed by Zee Wo, a silver retailer located in Shanghai at 121 and 370 Henan Road and operated circa 1870-1940s. The set was beautifully decorated with high-relief dragons with tightly chased scales, slithering with open claws, one of the most auspicious motifs in Chinese traditional art. The knobs and handles were made in stylized bamboo shape, which is found on the tongs. The creamer and sugar were gilt inside. All pieces except the tongs were marked the same way underneath with "ZEEWO" and a square stamp (which appears to be for the export market). The set retains its original handled storage wood box with molded interior compartments covered in brocade. The box retains partially legible ink writings on the bottom identifying the content.
Size: Teapot: 6" H x 9.75" W x 6.25" D; Creamer: 3"H x 5.25"W x 4"D; Sugar: 4"H x 6.25"W x 4.25D"; Tongs: 4.9"L x 1.5"W x 1.2"H.
Zee Wo was a well known silver retailed in Shanghai that might be identified as Cantonese style based on some old advertisement. It seems that it operated until 1940s. Several old newspaper advertisements were shown here. This tea set is dated to circa early 20th century. See less