Adam's Fine Asian Art Preview 23 November 2021

58 A ‘XI SHANG MEI SHAO’ CHINESE EXPORT SILVER THREE-PIECE TEA SET BY BAO CHENG OF TIANJING CHINA, ACTIVE IN BEIJING AND TIANJIN, CIRCA 1900 Comprised of one lidded teapot, one cream pot and one lidded sugar bowl. Each resting on a short foot, each of globular compressed belly, each with bamboo shaped handles, the teapot also with a bamboo shaped spout and a bamboo-shaped finial topping its lid. All adorned with magpies and prunus. All inscribed to the below with the city, i.e. Tianjin, and the maker’s mark, Bao Cheng. H (the biggest, the teapot): 15 cm Total weight: 976 grams €2,000 - 4,000 NOTES: 1. Amidst the artists working in Beijing, Bao Cheng, who later also had a workshop in Tianjin, stood put for his exceptional skills both in silver making and enamel work. His works are quite rare ands sought-af- ter by collectors. 2. One can say “There is a happy magpie on the tip of the plum branch”, lit. “Xi Shang Mei Shao” ( 喜上 梅稍) which sound exactly like “Xi Shang Mei Shao” ( 喜上眉稍 ), lit. happiness up to one’s eyebrows”. A ‘DRAGON’ CHINESE EXPORT SILVER THREE- PIECE TEA SET BY TU MAO XING 涂茂兴 CHINA, POSSIBLY HONG KONG OR MACAO, CIRCA 1900 Comprised of one lidded teapot, one cream pot and one sugar bowl. The three pieces are all covered with a bee nest pattern, they all have bamboo shaped handles and they all are adorned with coiled four-claw dragons flying amidst clouds in pursuance of the flaming pearl. All bears the maker’s mark to the below, i.e. “ 涂茂兴 ”, lit. TU MAO XING, the teapot also bears the mark “ 江九 ”, lit. JIANG JIU. H (the biggest piece, the teapot): 14,5 cm Total weight: 855 grams €3,000 - 6,000