19th Century Chinese Export .900 Silver Casket Box - 34.600 ozt. Beautiful 19th Century Chinese export silver box decorated with scenery of a bustling town, filled with people at a market. Marked on base KHI, 90, maker's signature in Chinese characters. 

Size: 9 x 6 x 4 1/2 in. 

Gross Weight: 34.600 ozt. 

Chinese export silver is silverware made in China for export, starting in the Qing Dynasty. It is analogous to the much larger production of Chinese export porcelain, but unlike this remained largely confined to ornamental objects rather than practical tableware. China became a major exporter of fine goods such as tea, spices, and porcelain to Europe in the 18th and 19th Centuries, particularly through the Chinese Canton System (Canton Port) and, after the Opium Wars, the Treaty of Nanking and Treaty of Tientsin. The latter treaty also expanded their trade to Russia, America, and North Africa. Most of these pieces shipped through the major ports at Shanghai and Tientsin (modern day Tianjin). Regular trade with the West had been going on since the time of the Roman Empire, and the Portuguese established the first “modern” trading station in China as early as 1514. Historically silver had been more valuable in China than Europe relative to gold and other commodities, and European traders had for centuries paid for their purchases of Chinese goods with silver. Early works of Chinese Export Silver were intended to reproduce or copy objects in European styles. However, the Chinese artisans later began to add their own flair to the pieces, including new decorations and Chinese motifs such as the dragon, flowers, bamboo, and scenes of life at the Chinese court. These Western-intended works, dubbed “Chinoiserie,” became an important influence on the arts and styles of the modern world from the late 18th Century onward. In the early 20th Century massive political changes and devastating wars fundamentally altered the way of life for the Chinese, and their system of export and import similarly changed, with new restrictions on what could be made and sold focused on retaining culturally important artifacts instead of marketing everything for foreign consumers. Today many of the original works crafted by skilled artisans in cities like Canton, Shanghai, and Hong Kong that showcased exceptional artistry are highly sought after, valued for their material and quality as much as for their unique fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics and their importance to Chinese history, offering a glimpse into the trade dynamics of the time.

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