A PAIR OF REPOUSSÉ SILVER VASES, YANGQINGHE MARK, LATE QING TO REPUBLIC PERIOD
China, c. 1850-1935. Each with a baluster body raised on three floral feet above a waisted base and surmounted by a gently flaring neck with a foliate rim. Neatly engraved with prunus and peony blossoms borne on leafy stems, the body with five beaded panels enclosing inscriptions, four of which contain auspicious characters while one is a passage from Journey to the West. (2)


Inscriptions:

Maker’s mark to the base of each, ‘Yang Qinghe’.
Each vase is inscribed with a passage from Journey to the West: ‘Even the wind through the pines and the moon in the water are not as pure as Master Xuanzang. The heavenly morning dew and pearls are not as crystal clear as Master Xuanzang. He is wise, carefree, and has a clear mind. But he does not show this.’


Provenance:
London trade.

Condition:
Good condition with some old wear and manufacturing irregularities, light tarnishing, small scratches, minor nicks and minimal warping.

Weight: 102.9 g and 104.6 g
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm and 16.1 cm


The earliest records of the silver atelier known as Yangqinghe
date to 1775 in Shanghai. By the end of the Qing dynasty, it had the reputation as being the best silver workshop on the Shanghai bund. Not only did they make decorative items, but also accessories and jewelry, popular among the Shanghai elite. After 1850, the atelier divided into three separate branches, Jiuji, Faji, and Fuji, and passed to the ownership of Shao Youlian's family.


Shao was a statesman
who had served as the Qing court's charge d'affaires at St. Petersburg, had been a past governor of Taiwan and acting governor of Hunan. After his death in 1901, his family did not immediately divide up his estate, but his second son Shao Heng, gradually assumed ownership of the Jiuji branch of Yangqinghe. Shao Heng was known as a spendthrift and tended to neglect the business. Jiuji eventually ceased operation in 1935.


Journey to the West
(Xiyouji), is an epic 16th-century novel fictionalizing the actual journey of the historical figure of Xuanzang (602-664) who made a pilgrimage to India to collect Buddhist sutras. During the eventful trip accompanied by Sun Wukong, the honest but hapless monk encounters a tempestuous and powerful monkey king recently released from a supernatural prison, Zhu Bajie, as well as a greedy pig-like demon and Sha Wujing, a quiet and sensible river spirit. The troupe suffer a series of increasingly dangerous trials but eventually prevail, finally bringing the true word of Buddha back to the Tang imperial court.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 15 September 2018, lot 1479
Estimate: USD 5,000 or approx.
EUR 5,600
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A silver ‘dragon’ ewer, late Qing dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related Yangqinghe mark. Note the different form, dragon motifs, and the size (26.5 cm).




清末民初一對卷蓮口錘鍱銀瓶


中國，約1850-1935年。卷蓮口，長頸，豐肩，五瓣瓶身，三如意足。頸部雕刻卷葉紋。器身五瓣分別開光，塊串珠板，內刻。 (2)


款識：

松風水月，未足比其清華；仙露明珠，詎能方其朗潤。故以智通無累，神測未形。
楊慶和
來源：
倫敦古玩交易。

品相：
狀況良好，有一些磨損和製造不規則、輕微變色、小劃痕、輕微刻痕和輕微翹曲。

重量：分別102.9克與104.6克
尺寸：分別高 15.5 厘米與16.1 厘米


拍賣結果比較:

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2018年9月15日，lot 1479
估價：USD 5,000（相當於今日
EUR 5,600
）
描繪：清末銀開光龍紋龍柄執壺《上》《楊慶和》款
專家評論：比較相近的楊慶和款。請注意不同的外型，龍紋主題和尺寸(26.5 厘米)。