Lot 219

[COLLECTION OF THE LATE ROBERT STEEDMAN AND MARTHA HAMILTON] TWO CHINESE EXPORT SILVER WARES

MEIHUA, ZHEJIANG; YU, BEIJING & TIANJIN; HUI, HANGZHOU & SHANGHAI, LATE QING TO REPUBLIC PERIOD

Fine Asian Works of Art

Auction: 06 November 2026 from 10:00 GMT

Estimate: £300 - £500

Description

清末民初「浙省美華足紋裕」錘印款銀質花鳥紋海棠型蓋盒及「浙省信記足紋惠」錘印款鳳凰紋花口碟（共兩件）

comprising: a quatrefoil tea caddy, decorated with birds and flowers on both sides and with associated poems, the base with impressed Chinese marks read ‘Zhesheng’, ‘Meihua’, ‘Zuwen’ and ‘Yu’; and a foliated dish carved with a phoenix and flowers, the base with impressed Chinese marks read ‘Zhesheng’, ‘Xinji’, ‘Zuwen’ and ‘Hui’ (2)

Dimensions

caddy: 11.7cm high, 200g; dish: 15cm diameter, 124g

Provenance

From the collection of the late Robert Steedman OBE (1929-2026), and Martha Hamilton OBE (1929-2015), thence by direct descent. Robert Steedman was a renowned Scottish architect. He was the only son of Helen Hope Brazier (1899-1999), born in Beijing in 1899, who retained a lifelong interest in Asian art. The collection also includes items inherited from Mr Steedman's second wife, Martha Hamilton OBE, who spent many years in Sikkim as a missionary and teacher.

已故羅伯特・斯蒂德曼（獲頒大英帝國官佐勳章，1929–2026）及瑪莎・漢密爾頓（獲頒大英帝國官佐勳章，1929–2015）舊藏，後家族遞藏。

羅伯特・斯蒂德曼為著名蘇格蘭建築師，乃海倫・霍普・布雷澤（Helen Hope Brazier，1899–1999）之獨子。海倫於1899年生於北京，終其一生熱愛亞洲藝術。此批藏品亦包括承自斯蒂德曼第二任妻子瑪莎・漢密爾頓（1929–2015）之收藏。漢密爾頓曾多年於錫金擔任傳教士及教師。

Footnote

‘Yu’ was an artisan workshop operating in Tianjin/Beijing, usually making for Zhong Yuan in Tianjin, but also co-working alongside the artisan workshop, Heng, in conjunction with the retailers Lao Tian Bao and Qing Yun in Tianjin.

‘Hui’ was an artisan workshop that made almost exclusively for Mei Hua, but also for Wing On in Shanghai.

With gratitude to Dr Adrien von Ferscht, a Chinese export silver specialist, for identifying the marks on this lot.