A cylindrical tankard worked in high-relief repoussé with two sky dragons — tianlong — surging through billowing clouds in pursuit of the flaming pearl of wisdom. Scaled bodies coil with extraordinary fluency against a finely matted ground, whiskered heads thrown back in dynamic tension. The handle is cast in the form of bamboo, its jointed culms rendered with botanical precision — a motif long associated in Chinese culture with resilience and scholarly virtue.
To the reverse, a polished cartouche bears the engraved monogram E.W.H., the recipient of a gift recorded in script on the base: E.H. to E.W.H. / March 1912 — the final year of the Qing dynasty, and the first of the Chinese Republic. Two marks are struck to the base, including the retail mark of Wang Hing, the celebrated Hong Kong silversmith whose pieces are among the most sought-after in the field of Chinese export silver today.
A cylindrical tankard worked in high-relief repoussé with two sky dragons — tianlong — surging through billowing clouds in pursuit of the flaming pearl of wisdom. Scaled bodies coil with extraordinary fluency against a finely matted ground, whiskered heads thrown back in dynamic tension. The handle is cast in the form of bamboo, its jointed culms rendered with botanical precision — a motif long associated in Chinese culture with resilience and scholarly virtue.
To the reverse, a polished cartouche bears the engraved monogram E.W.H., the recipient of a gift recorded in script on the base: E.H. to E.W.H. / March 1912 — the final year of the Qing dynasty, and the first of the Chinese Republic. Two marks are struck to the base, including the retail mark of Wang Hing, the celebrated Hong Kong silversmith whose pieces are among the most sought-after in the field of Chinese export silver today.
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