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 SMP Silver Salon Forums
 Continental / International Silver
 Japanese or Chinese Silver??
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| Author | Topic: Japanese or Chinese Silver?? |
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coachdad3 Posts: 2 |
posted 07-29-2007 09:02 PM
  
[26-1460] Hello knowledgeable silver world!! I recently inherited a silver teapot from my great aunt. When I opened it there were five bowls inside. She always said they were saki cups, but on first look they looked like open salts. The teapot has a Victorian etched bird in flower foliage pattern on one side and four Japanese or Chinese characters on the other side. The lid has a flower blossom handle that appears to be a peony. Around both sides and the lid is a Greek key pattern. The lid is connected to the handle with a chain. The bottom has an Oriental hallmark, that we are unable to identify. The open salts/saki cups appear to be solid silver also with a gold washed interior. The bottoms have a different and much, much smaller Oriental hallmark. I would love to know the age and the meaning of the hallmarks, as I am far from an expert. Any help will be much appreciated!! IP: Logged |
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Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
posted 07-29-2007 10:18 PM
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FWG Posts: 845 |
posted 07-30-2007 11:30 AM
I can't identify the mark, but I believe it's a sake set rather than a teapot and cups. Tea in Japan is preferentially drunk from ceramic cups, and the lack of spacers in the handle of the pot would make it nearly impossible to pour hot tea from. Even warmed sake is served at a lower temperature than tea, making it more practical, and silver sake cups are not unusual (sake pots make it to the "West" less often - this is a nice piece). I would guess it's roughly mid-20th century in age. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 07-30-2007 01:32 PM
The five cups is a full set. Sometimes people think that one has gone missing because they are used to seeing an even number of cups in a set, but in Japan and China the preference is for odd numbers. Once of the reasons is that odd numbers are considered to be harmonious or lucky. A full set is normally five, though sometimes you will see three or seven in the case of someone needing a smaller or larger setting. IP: Logged |
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coachdad3 Posts: 2 |
posted 07-31-2007 06:40 PM
Thanks Kimo and FWG!! I still have some unanswered questions about these pieces. 1. Are these pieces solid silver or silver plate? 2. Are these pieces Japanese or Chinese? 3. The approximate age of these pieces? and 4. Any additional information will be greatly appreciated. I think they are actually older than the mid 20th century, but am no expert. The appearance of the designs on the teapot don't appear to be from the 1950's. Thanks again!! IP: Logged |
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salmoned Posts: 336 |
posted 08-06-2007 04:35 PM
It seems to me the cups and the pot do not belong together and should be looked at separately. IP: Logged |
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FWG Posts: 845 |
posted 08-06-2007 04:52 PM
It's hard to say much with certainty just from the photos, but my bet would be Japanese, and silver rather than plated. Dating by engraving design would be different in Japan than in Europe or the US; my gut feeling is post Russo-Japanese War, pre-WWII - like second quarter of the 20C. Late 19C is not out of the question, but I really think it's later than that. IP: Logged |
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Kimo Posts: 1627 |
posted 08-07-2007 01:32 PM
I can not read kanji (the writing) so I can not tell you what they say. Hopefully they would provide a clue as to whether this is Chinese or Japanese. Going by the style of this wine pot alone, my inclination is to go with Chinese. I base this on the Greek key design border which in my experience I have noticed more frequently on Chinese objects than Japanese but of course this is not at all definitive and I could easily be convinced it is Japanese by someone who could read the kanji. As for its approximate age my feeling is mid 1900s. It could just as easily be pre-war and post war. It does not have the kinds of markings such a pot would have were it meant for export, but the lack of wear on it gives me the sense that it was meant for the tourist trade. Did your Aunt or her husband ever travel to Japan, China, or other countries in that area before or after the war where she may have picked it up? IP: Logged |
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