Lot 143
PAIR OF TWO-HANDLED FLUTED AGATE CUPS AND COVERS
20TH CENTURY
Auction: 17 May 2024 from 10:00 BST
Description
二十世紀 瑪瑙雙龍柄百條紋杯及蓋 後嵌西式百寶金屬音樂盒及時鐘 帶木座
each with a fluted body tapering down supported on a short ring foot, flanked by a pair of sinuous dragons as handles, the cover similarly decorated with a button finial, both mounted later with British/European style gold-coloured metals further inlaid with coloured beads, one as a music box and the other a clock, unmarked, with wooden stands (2)
Dimensions
8.8cm wide each across handles
Provenance
The Estate of Sir John and Lady Clare Keswick at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire.
Sir John Henry Keswick, KCMG (1906–1982) was an influential Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the leading British trading firm in the Far East, and had established friendships with many Chinese politicians, including Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-sen during his stay in China. He was also a representative of the Special Operations Executive, a British intelligence service during the Second World War. Sir John spoke fluent Chinese. He was a Chinese art collector, particularly contemporary paintings.
He married Clare Mary Alice Cynthia Catherine Celia Elwes (1905–1998) in 1940 and had a child Margaret Keswick (1941–1995) who founded Maggie's Centres for those suffering from cancer.