Scenes of the Orient

Upcoming in our Silver & Plated Ware sale on Monday 19^th September are pieces which epitomise the European fascination with the Eastern cultures and their ornament.

At a time when few people travelled the world, the importing of exotic goods in the eighteenth century such as fabrics, carpets and porcelain from China and Japan caused quite a stir, especially amongst the wealthy, who saw owning these artefacts from the Far East as a symbol of status. Perhaps, more importantly, they were a connection to the major cultures of the world.

Lot 12 is an early George III silver tea caddy, the pear shaped body is chased with chinoiserie figures and scenes interspersed with flowers and scroll borders, hallmarked Samuel Taylor, London 1765. Chinoiserie, from ‘chinois’ the French for Chinese, was a style inspired by art and design from China, Japan and other Asian countries; the style was at its height from 1750 to 1765. Many British designers and craftsmen imitated designs to create their own fanciful versions of the East; pagodas, pavilions, dragons and birds are amongst the most common motifs of the style.

These motifs are used as novelty terminals for the spoons in Lot 333, which includes two Chinese export teaspoons, with faux bamboo stem, one with a dragon terminal and four Japanese demitasse spoons which feature a rickshaw and pagoda terminal. The Chinese export teaspoons are both impressed ‘T C’, possibly for Tuck Chang & Company Ltd, a prolific silversmith based in Shanghai, circa 1890-1915.

The craftsmanship of Eastern artefacts is noticeable in the elegance of the designs; when coupled with enamel silver pieces can become beautifully decorative as seen in Lot 556 – a late nineteenth century Japanese imported silver box, engraved with floral sprays rising to the hinged cover embellished with chrysanthemums interspaced with examples enamelled in shades of yellow, orange, blue and purple, hallmarked Spink & Son (John Marshall Spink), London import 1898. Spinks started dealing in Oriental Art in the 1850’s and opened a business specialising in British Pictures and Oriental Art in the 1902 having moved premises to Piccadilly.

Although it can be said that the arts of Japan owe their origins to China, the two styles of ornament can be differentiated by a keener observation of nature by Japan who would apply a more literal treatment of the landscapes and the beautiful flora of the country. The ‘kiku’ or chrysanthemum or the ‘botan’ or peony were regularly used to form designs which avoided the appearance of symmetry whilst producing symmetrical effects; the repetition of form displaying an irregularity and changefulness giving an unusual charm to the piece.

A similar approach is demonstrated in Lot 335 – a Japanese silver swing-handled basket, the shallow dish embellished with bamboo and blossom and intertwining bamboo swing handle is marked to the underside Sterling Asahi Shoten 0.995. The cherry blossom is considered an emblem of beauty and purity of spring and its simple application to the bowl is sure to catch the attention of the bidders. Often as seen here, a rising sun mark is applied to Japanese pieces denoting its origin.

Eastern influence also filtered into the decorative arts of the Aesthetic movement during the nineteenth century. The movement rejected outright revivalism and approached design and life as a multisensory experience; finding beauty in the mundane, the simple, and the exotic. Borrowing qualities of the Japanese aesthetic such as elongated pictorial formats, aerial perspectives, and a focus on singularly decorative motifs, designers sought to create a sophisticated ambience.

All of the pieces featured will be included in our next specialist Silver & Plated Ware sale on Monday 19^th September – catalogue online now.