Catalog: Antiques: Decorative Art: Metals: Silver: Asia Trade (1)

A Chinese export silver 3 piece cruet set with spiders and lizards. This truly unusual and well-made three piece cruet set is in high grade Chinese export silver. Dating to the late 19th-early 20th century, this condiment set has the 2-1/2" high pepper shaker, the 1-1/4" high open salt dish and the 2-1/4" high lidded mustard pot with handle. What makes this set exceptional is the presence of very high relief applied spiders being chased by lizards. The mouths are open on the lizards and the detail is stunning; each piece is on three insect-like legs. Each piece has Chinese silver marks, not a mark I have seen before - but given the unusual use of lizards and bugs, this piece had the look of work by Chinese silversmith Luen Hing. I have not seen this mark attached to any of his known work, so this is merely a speculative opinion. The 3 pc set weighs a total of 115.9 grams, and there is no liner present in the salt dish. This set is in excellent vintage condition with no bends, corrosion, losses, damage or repairs other than some indenting to two feet on each of the interiors of the mustard and salt pieces, and slight denting on bugs. All items are thoroughly and conservatively graded and all condition issues are noted; all items are vintage or antique and may have slight signs of gentle use. Expedited tracked and insured parcel shipping to the U.S. starts at $21 (other spots may vary, air is higher). Items paid with a credit card will be shipped to confirmed addresses only. We do ship internationally. All of our prices are in $US. PLEASE NOTE: We DO NOT accept PayPal.