? A FINE CHINESE SILVER TRIPOD BOWL, WANG HING, LATE QING DYNASTY China, Canton or Hong Kong, second half of 19th century. The six-lobed bowl supported on three elaborately crafted dragon-form feet, the fierce beasts with open mouths revealing tongue and teeth as well as bulging eyes, incised mane, and dense scales. The panels decorated with different scenes, comprising, bamboo, prunus, peonies, immortals, a dragon, and chicks.
Inscriptions: To the underside, ‘WH’ (for Wang Hing & Company), ‘90’ (silver fineness), and ‘RenJi’ (the name of the silver craftsman).
Provenance: The collection of Count Federico Zichy-Thyssen, Paraguay, and thence by descent in the family. A private South American collection, acquired directly from the above. A copy of a provenance statement written and signed by the present owner, dated 18 July 2025, and confirming the above, accompanies this lot. Count Federico Augusto Zichy?Thyssen (1937-2014), born into a distinguished German-Hungarian aristocratic dynasty, was raised in Argentina—a background that fostered a lifelong devotion to gaucho traditions, agriculture, and horse breeding. He made his mark as a celebrated breeder of Arabian horses, overseeing renowned studs in both Argentina and Paraguay and showcasing his equine talent on the international stage. Beyond equestrian pursuits, Zichy?Thyssen was an avid art collector, particularly fine Chinese ceramics and works of art. For example, a yellow and green enameled dragon vase with a Jiaqing mark and of the period from Zichy-Thyssen’s collection was sold at Christie’s New York, 24 September 2021, lot 874, for USD 200,000.
Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, and occasional scratches.
Weight: 371 g
Dimensions: Length 17.8 cm
Probably the greatest and finest Chinese Export retailer of the period, Wang Hing started trading in Canton soon after 1842 when, with the end of the First Opium War and the treaty of Nanking, China opened its ports to foreign merchants and Hong Kong became a British colony.
Wang Hing was the trading name chosen by the Lo family who established the business and passed it down for generations until 1941. Although little is known about the founder of the company, we know that the Lo’s were a wealthy merchant family, living in one of the richest areas of Canton, the district of Xiguan.
Thanks to the fine quality of the pieces and to the entrepreneurial abilities of the family members, the reputation of the firm grew. In the 1920’s Lo Hung Tong, grandson of the founder, opened a store on Queen’s Road, Hong Kong and another in Shanghai.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 18 October 2018, lot 503
Price: USD 13,750 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pair of Chinese export silver bowls, Wang Hing, Hong Kong, circa 1900
Expert remark: Compare the related form and decoration. Note the size (26.7 cm) and that the lot comprises two bowls.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Zacke, Vienna, 15 October 2021, lot 26
Price: EUR 2,781 or approx. EUR 3,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Chinese silver tripod bowl, Wang Hing, late Qing dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related form and decoration. Note the size (22.3 cm).
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Gallery Zacke takes care of shipping and quotes postage upon request. The purchased goods are transported at the risk of the customer following handover of the packaged item to the post office or another carrier which the customer agrees to through his/her submission of the purchase order. According to specific wish of the customer, the auctioned goods may be insured for the value of the purchase price (highest bid and surcharge). This insurance fee is 3% of the purchase price.
Terms of Auction
§ 1) The auction shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the rules of procedure of GALERIE ZACKE?, SZA VERSTEIGERUNGEN UND VERTRIEBS GMBH, MARIAHILFERSTRASSE 112, 1070 WIEN (hereinafter referred to as the company) as well as in accordance with sections 244-246 of the GEWERBEORDNUNG [Industrial Code] of 1994. The auction shall be carried out on commission. The auctioneer shall be entitled to withdraw lots exceptionally, to conduct the auction deviating from the order of the catalog numbers and to offer lots jointly. In the event of any dispute concerning a double bid or if the auctioneer has missed a bid, the auctioneer shall be entitled to revoke acceptance of a bid and to continue auctioning the item. The figures stated in the catalog shall be the highest bid in Euro (€) expected by the respective expert. As a rule, the bid shall be increased by 10% of the last bid. (See table of the bidding increments).
§ 2) The acceptance of a bid shall be granted to the highest bidder unless a hidden reserve has been agreed upon with the consignor of the item in question. Such a hidden reserve (also called limit or just reserve) shall be the minimum price under which the item will not be sold during the auction. This reserve will be disclosed upon request and after the auction only and may exceed the estimate. The auctioneer will in this case bid on behalf of the seller against all other bidders until the reserve has been reached. If a reserve is not reached during the auction, the auctioneer will knock down the item to the highest bidder at the final bid, but the sale will be conditional of the acceptance of this final bid by the seller. In this case the highest bidder shall be bound to his/her last bid for a term of 8 days starting with the day of the knockdown. If the winning bidder does not receive a written cancellation notice within this term of 8 days, the knockdown becomes unconditional and the sale is final. Typically, only a minority of all items in an auction have a hidden reserve.
§ 3) Most items shall be subject to differential taxation. A uniform surcharge of 22% plus the value added tax applicable to the surcharge to the amount of 20% shall be added to the achieved highest bid (final and highest bid). Thus, the surcharge shall be 26.4% of the final and highest bid in total. Items with added VAT are marked in the online catalog.
§ 4) In the event of sales abroad, the value added tax will be repaid if the item is sold to a country which is not a member country of the European Union (third country), the legal requirements are met, and the proof of exportation is provided. The value added tax shall not be shown separately on the invoice.
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§ 6) In the event of a term of payment, or any payment delay, in whole or in part, the company shall be entitled to charge default interest (12% p.a.) as well as storage charges (2.4% pf the final and highest bid per month commenced) after 14 days upon acceptance of the bid. The item purchased at auction shall be handed over exclusively upon full payment of the purchase price including all costs and charges accrued since the acceptance of the bid.
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§ 10) The company’s experts evaluate and describe the items received for auction and determine the starting prices unless otherwise stated in the catalog or expert opinion. The information concerning production technique or material, state of preservation, origin, design and age of an item is based on published or otherwise generally accessible (scientific) findings concluded by the company’s expert with the necessary care and accuracy. The company shall warrant to the buyer according to §34-38 of the AGB (Terms and Conditions) that properties are correct provided that any complaints referring to this are made within 45 days after the auction day. Subsequent complaints shall be excluded in principle. The company shall not be liable for any further information in the catalog and expert opinion as well. This shall also apply to illustrations in the catalog. The purpose of these illustrations is to guide the potential buyer during the preview. They shall not be authoritative for the condition or the characteristics of the pictured item. The published condition reports shall only mention defects and damage affecting the artistic or commercial value significantly. Complaints concerning the price shall be excluded upon acceptance of the bid. The company reserves the right to amend the catalog online prior to the auction. These amendments shall also be made public orally by the auctioneer during the auction. In this case, the company shall be liable for the amendment only. All items offered may be checked prior to the auction. These items are used. Any claims for damages exceeding the liability named above and resulting from other material defects or other defects of the item shall be excluded. When making the bid, the bidder confirms that he/she has inspected the item prior to the auction and has made sure that the item corresponds to the description.
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§ 18) Certain auction lots may exist several times (multiples). In such a case, the auctioneer may accept a second, third or even more bids from the underbidder(s). In this case, the text in the catalog and not the illustration shall be exclusively binding with regard to the warranty.
§ 19) The company reserves the right to assign to the buyer all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the seller by way of a respective declaration, as well as to assign to the seller all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the buyer by way of a respective declaration, in each case in terms of a complete assignment of contract with the result that the contractual relationship - following the submission of the aforementioned declarations by the company – shall exclusively be between the seller and the buyer, all of which is in accordance with the basic model of the commission agreement. Buyers and sellers shall already now give their explicit consent to this contract assignment.
§ 20) The place of performance of the contract brought about between the company on the one hand and the seller as well as the buyer on the other hand shall be the place of business of the company. The legal relationships and contracts existing between the company, the sellers and the buyers shall be subject to Austrian law. The company, the sellers and the buyers shall agree to settle all disputes resulting from, concerning and in connection with this contract before the territorially competent court of Vienna.
§ 21) The export of certain art objects from Austria shall require a permit from the Bundesdenkmalamt [Federal Monuments Office]. The company will orally provide information about art objects for which such export permit will probably not be granted at the beginning of the auction.
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