Chinese export silver
A name on the object
Khecheong is a name associated with Canton silver. Christie’s identifies KHC with Khecheong on one tankard, and its catalogue essay places the business on Club Street, Honam Island, during 1840–1870. These are catalogue claims tied to particular records, not proof of the maker of every KHC-marked piece.
The Hong Kong Museum of Art lists a silver egg cruet set under Khecheong with KHC, W and pseudo hallmarks. Record all marks together before deciding what each represents.
Object study
Objects as evidence
Follow individual records and keep each attribution attached to its object.
The teapot as a landscape
Christie’s dates its Khecheong-marked teapot to the second half of the nineteenth century. Figures appear in landscapes, on fish and emerging from shells; dragons form the handle and spout, and four claw feet support the pot. It is 31.1 cm long and weighs 1,278 g gross.
The catalogue does not identify a particular scene as a specific battle or story. Its essay offers a general interpretation of such scenes, which should not be mistaken for identification of this one. Follow the source photographs, then inspect the lid, handle, spout and feet for joins and repairs.
A different form, a different record
Christie’s describes a covered tankard with KHC between English-style pseudo hallmarks and an engraved 1871 date. That inscription is evidence on this tankard; it should not be used as a date for every Khecheong object.
Follow an interest
What to explore.
A historical firm profile built around object records, not a complete register of workshops or marks.
Check the details
Before you buy.
Start with the individual piece and its complete record.
Open the references
Research this name.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Chinese export silver
Explore the wider trade.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Makers, workshops and marks
Read different marks in context.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Table, tea and presentation silver
Compare serving vessels and gifts.
- Related Collect Silver guide
Construction and identification
Examine relief, joins, and condition.
Sources & further reading
- Fine Chinese export silver teapot, lot 32 Christie’s · Auction object record
- Two export silver tankards, lot 1133744 Christie’s · Auction object record and essay
- Shopping in Canton, supplementary information, p. 37 Hong Kong Museum of Art · Museum exhibition guide
Museum and object records support the distinctions in this profile.