Important Silversmiths – Wing Fat
19th Century Chinese Export Silver bowl, beautifully chased and pierced with chrysanthemums, stunning quality and large size.
Hallmarked Chinese silver (90 for 900+ standard), Mark "WF" for Wing Fat.
Reference Number: A2753
Wing Fat is a very fine although quite rare Chinese retail silversmith, active in Canton and Hong Kong between 1875 and 1930. The person at the head of the company is still unknown, but surely he employed very fine artisans, not just in Canton, but also in Shanghai to create superb quality items.
His items generally bear the mark with the initials ‘WF’ and the mark of the artisan who realised the piece.
Wing Fat items feature the traditional Chinese motifs, such as chrysanthemums, genre scenes and landscapes, dragons and bamboo leaves, but the beautiful execution of his pieces, the attention to perspective and lifelike details are the signature marks of the silversmith.
He also retailed beautifully enamelled objects and miniature silver furniture (see A. Von Ferscht, Chinese Export Silver 1785-1940, 4th edition 2015).
19th Century Chinese Export Silver three piece tea set, comprising of teapot, lidded sugar bowl and milk jug, each spherical body is beautifully embossed with dragons chasing the flaming pearl of wisdom, cast spout modelled as a bamboo branch and the handles also shaped like bamboo branches.
Hallmarked Chinese Export silver (900 standard), year 1890's, Maker's mark and "WF" for Wing Fat.
Reference Number: A3224