The round melon  bodies of the pieces have been repousse worked with dragons.

In Chinese culture, the dragon is a potent symbol of power, strength, good fortune and prosperity.  The foreigner who commissioned this tea set was clearly hoping for all these auspicious wishes 

The bamboo motif has been used for the handles , finials and also on the rim of each piece.

Bamboo is a powerful symbol in many cultures, representing a range of positive qualities like strength , flexibility ( it bends in the wind and comes back), strength, resilience and good luck- so more auspicious wishes 

The sugar and cream retain the original gilding

This is very attractive tea set by the well known silversmith Luen Wo.  Do look on the lid of the tea pot – a dragon’s head.  I have never seen that before

To be used and displayed

All the auspicious flower motifs are here- Bamboo for resilience, chrysanthemums that bloom through the frost, plum blossom for new beginnings, irises for plentifulness

Bamboo is the motif used for the stand and the handle and forms the finial.

The motifs are applIied to the body of the kettle and then additonal chasing has been used to augment the effect

The burner is particularly fine.

This is actually a tea kettle and would have been an extra part of the traditional three piece tea set – often for extra water – the burner would have been lit using oil and a wick to keep the water hot

Super weight and condition

The caddy is in a globular form standing on three ball feet.

The pull off closely fitting cylindrical lid makes a satisfying popping sound as its pulled off.  Tea caddy lids must fit tightly to keep all the tea flavours intact

The round body is decorated with embossed chrysanthemums and the lid has more  chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemums  symbolise longevity, fidelity, joy and optimism.

Interestingly the tea caddy has the retailer’s mark HC only.  Maybe this was made by Hung Chong himself.?  If another artisan made it his chop would usually appear as part of the mark

Certainly this caddy is of the finest quality

The polished straight sides have applied decoration of trailing plum blossom branches .

Plum blossoms bloom at the end of the winter, and because of this, they are called the herald of spring.

Since they are considered the first flower of the year, they also represent purity and renewal.

The work on this pot is very fine with birds nestling amongst the plum blossom branches

This style is known as tree bark because the overall shape looks like a section of a tree branch and there is portion of the silver worked to look like the bark of a tree.

The handles and finial also look like branches. In this case there is even a small plum blossom added to the finial on the tea pot

These Chinese Export silver tea sets are always also worked with plum blossom which is a symbol for resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, because plum blossoms often bloom most vibrantly even amidst the harsh winter snow. 

As you can see there is slanted small reserve for engraving.

Good weight and excellent condition, this is the finest tree bark set I have ever seen

Luen Wo is well known for his  flower motifs and here we find chrysanthemums worked all over the lid and the round body of the pot.

Chrysanthemums bloom through the frost and symbolise devoted love, loyalty, happiness, longevity, and joy

The bamboo motif –  for resilience- forms the handle , spout and finial

Perfect for herb tea at the end of a dinner party

The caddy is unusual because of the shape – square – and shows the influence of the western Art Nouveau movement on Chinese Export silver craftsmen

The four sides have different flowers some with birds

Chrysanthemums bloom through the frost, plum blossom for new beginnings , peonies for prosperity, good luck, love and honour.

Maybe this tea caddy was specially commissioned for a wedding or anniversary present?

Fine condition

Dragons rule!

Cast dragons form the handles and the finial and are all in remarkable condition

The crispness of the repousse work on the bodies of the pieces is also very fine

Just look for the bamboo feet -bamboo symbolises resilience

Both pieces retain their original gilded interiors so the cream jug could be used for any sauces and the sugar bowl could be used for nuts

The dragon  symbolizes supernatural power, wisdom, strength, and hidden knowledge.

The caddy has four curving sides decorated with shaped lozenges – two worked with dragons and two with chrysanthemums.  This autumn flower symbolises vitality and happiness whilst dragons symbolise power and strength

Just to be on the safe side the round closely fitting lid is engraved with the Chinese character for happiness.  You can never get too much happiness!

The background is lightly hammered – something that could only be done by hand

By Wang Hing of Hong Kong , this is an example of the fine work produced by his work shop.

https://studio.youtube.com/video/qAheDJEWHkc

This style was popular in the 1890’s – a Chinese silvermsith’s response to the western Arts and Crafts movement.

The pieces are in the form of a cut section of a wooden stem with flowering plum blossom branches.

The handles are in the form of gnarled plum blossom branches

There is angled small reserve for engraving

Fine weight and condition