“Chinese Hung Chung” Silver Ceremonial Bowl
Kwong Man Shing, Hong Kong
Late 19th–Early 20th Century
Silver with engraved and repoussé decoration

This important Chinese export silver ceremonial bowl represents a remarkable example of late Qing to early Republican-period silverwork produced for the international market. The deep bowl rises above an elaborate pedestal supported by three upright dragons whose scaled bodies ascend to uphold the vessel above, creating a structure that is both architecturally complex and visually imposing. Dragons and solar imagery appear throughout the object, decorating the interior, exterior, neck, base, and even the concealed underside of the foot. At the center of the bowl, a large dragon pursues a radiant solar disc, echoed by a corresponding dragon motif on the exterior wall. Additional dragons appear on the neck, pedestal, and supporting structure below. Together these elements form a complete nine-dragon program, uniting the vessel into a coherent symbolic composition.

The use of nine dragons is highly significant. In traditional Chinese political and visual culture, the dragon symbolized heavenly authority, imperial power, and cosmic order, while the number nine represented the ultimate yang number and became closely associated with the emperor. Since the phrase “jiu wu zhi zun” (“the supreme dignity of the Nine-Five”) emerged from the Yijing (Book of Changes), nine-dragon imagery has been regarded as one of the most potent symbols of imperial authority. Although produced as an export silver object, the present bowl adopts a distinctly courtly visual language, elevating it beyond a decorative luxury object into something closer to a ceremonial vessel imbued with symbolic and political meaning. The great dragon within the bowl dominates the central field, while the three dragons below physically support the vessel, creating a powerful sense of monumentality and ritual presence.

Particularly noteworthy is the vessel’s sophisticated arrangement of its nine-dragon iconography. Eight dragons are readily visible across the bowl, pedestal, and exterior surfaces, while the ninth dragon is concealed within the recessed underside of the foot and remains invisible during normal display. This deliberate “visible eight, hidden ninth” arrangement closely parallels the design of Qing imperial dragon robes. Comparable compositions may be found in imperial robes preserved in the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Denver Art Museum, and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The Qing nine-dragon robe offered elsewhere in the present sale as Lot 4110 likewise follows the same visual system. By concealing the ninth dragon from immediate view, the designer completed the auspicious imperial total of nine while simultaneously reinforcing ideas of imperial status, heavenly mandate, and supreme authority. The repeated dragon-and-solar-disc imagery further strengthens these associations, creating a remarkably coherent program of imperial symbolism.

The underside bears Chinese character marks together with the English initials “KMS,” identifying the maker as Kwong Man Shing, one of the leading Chinese export silver workshops active in Hong Kong during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Historical records place the firm at 24 Queen’s Road, Hong Kong, with possible connections to Canton trade networks as well. The workshop appears to have been active from approximately 1875 to 1925, during the height of Chinese export silver production in treaty-port cities such as Hong Kong, Canton, and Shanghai.

During this period, Chinese silversmiths adapted Western forms while incorporating traditional Chinese decorative vocabularies, producing tea services, trophies, presentation bowls, boxes, ceremonial wares, and luxury objects for overseas markets. Dragon imagery proved especially attractive to Western collectors, who increasingly viewed the dragon as the quintessential emblem of China itself.

The significance of the present bowl may also be understood within the broader history of Chinese art and material culture displayed in the United States. The 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia marked one of the earliest large-scale public presentations of Chinese culture in America. Chinese displays included porcelains, silks, lacquerwares, jades, ivories, paintings, furniture, and luxury handicrafts, presenting American audiences with an image of China defined by refined craftsmanship, ornament, and hand production rather than industrial machinery. At a moment when the United States celebrated technological progress and industrial modernity, many Americans simultaneously developed a fascination with the artistry, patience, and sophistication embodied in traditional Chinese craftsmanship.

Chinese export silver workshops such as Kwong Man Shing participated directly in this international process of cultural exchange. Their works were not merely luxury goods, but carefully crafted embodiments of an exportable Chinese identity. Through imperial dragon imagery, elaborate repoussé decoration, and references to courtly visual traditions, objects such as the present bowl projected a vision of China that appealed strongly to Western collectors during the age of world expositions and global trade.

The present nine-dragon ceremonial bowl thus stands not merely as an outstanding example of Chinese export silver, but as a material expression of how late Qing China represented itself abroad. Integrating nine dragons, concealed imagery, solar symbolism, and richly modeled relief decoration into a single object, it transforms imperial iconography into a work intended for an international audience. Particularly significant is its close relationship to the Qing nine-dragon robe offered in the present sale as Lot 4110. Though differing in medium and function, both objects share the same imperial visual system of nine dragons and the deliberate “visible eight, hidden ninth” arrangement, demonstrating how symbols of imperial authority extended beyond court costume into the broader artistic production of late Qing China.

Height 13 7/8 x Diameter 10 1/4 inches (34.8 x 25.4 cm)

香港广万成制《中国鸿钟银礼碗》
十九世纪末至二十世纪初
银质，锤揲錾刻工艺

此件《中国鸿钟银礼碗》为晚清至民国初期中国外销银器中的重要作品。器作高足礼碗形，上承深腹大碗，下以三条立龙支撑碗身，龙首昂起，龙身上升，形成庄严而富有力量感的构图。碗壁内外、颈部、基座及底足内侧均饰龙纹与日轮纹样，构成完整而严谨的九龙体系。碗内一条巨龙环绕日轮而行，外壁亦见龙逐日轮图案，与内壁相互呼应；下方三龙承托碗身，颈部及基座分别饰有龙纹，而底足内侧则隐藏一条龙纹。合计九龙，形成前后、内外、上下贯通的整体布局。

九龙并非单纯装饰。在中国传统政治与视觉文化中，龙象征天命、皇权与宇宙秩序，而“九”则被视为阳数之极，与帝王身份密切相关。自《周易》“九五，飞龙在天，利见大人”以来，“九五至尊”逐渐成为皇帝的代名词。此件银礼碗所采用的九龙布局，正与清代宫廷艺术中常见的帝王象征体系相契合。虽然本器属于外销银器，但其图像语言显然借鉴了宫廷视觉传统，使其超越一般陈设器物，而成为一件具有礼仪性、象征性与权力意味的礼仪器物。碗内巨龙占据整个构图中心，与日轮共同构成视觉焦点；下方三龙托举碗体，使整件作品呈现出强烈的建筑感与仪式感。

尤其值得注意的是本器对于九龙体系的精心安排。器物表面可见八条龙纹，而第九条龙则隐藏于底足内侧，正常陈设时难以察觉。这种“八显一隐”的布局方式，与清代宫廷九龙龙袍的设计理念高度相似。现存故宫博物院、丹佛艺术博物馆及旧金山亚洲艺术博物馆所藏九龙龙袍，均采用外显八龙、内藏一龙的构图方式，而本场拍卖 Lot 4110 清代九龙五爪龙袍亦遵循同样的视觉体系。通过将第九条龙隐藏于观者不易察觉之处，设计者在有限空间中完成完整的九龙象征，从而强化了器物所承载的帝王身份与等级意义。与此同时，碗内外反复出现的龙逐日轮图像，也进一步强调了天命、阳气与皇权等观念，使整件作品形成一套高度完整且富有层次的帝王象征系统。

器底带中文刻款，并见中文“尚”字及英文“KMS”戳记，可归于香港著名外销银店广万成（Kwong Man Shing）。相关资料记载，广万成位于香港皇后大道二十四号，并可能与广州贸易网络保持密切联系，活跃时间约为1875至1925年。这一时期正值香港、广州及上海等通商口岸外销银器生产与贸易最为兴盛的阶段。中国银匠以西方市场熟悉的器形为基础，结合中国传统纹饰与工艺，制作茶具、奖杯、礼碗、陈设器及各类纪念性器物。龙纹作为中国最具代表性的文化符号之一，尤其受到欧美收藏家的欢迎，并逐渐成为西方社会理解“中国”的重要视觉象征。

此器的重要性亦可放在近代美国观看中国工艺的历史背景中加以理解。1876年费城举办美国建国百年世界博览会，这是中国文化在美国首次大规模公开展示的重要事件。中国展区汇集瓷器、茶叶、丝绸、漆器、玉器、象牙雕刻、家具及书画等各类工艺精品，使美国观众在蒸汽机与工业机械之外，看见一个由精湛手工艺、传统材料与悠久文化构成的中国世界。在工业化迅速发展的十九世纪后期，中国工艺品所体现出的细腻技巧、耐心投入与高度装饰性，引发了美国公众广泛而持久的兴趣。

十九世纪末至二十世纪初，香港与广州生产的外销银器正是在这样的国际博览会、跨洋贸易与收藏网络中进入欧美市场。广万成等银楼不仅制造银器，同时也参与了“中国形象”的塑造与传播。对于当时许多欧美收藏家而言，这类银器所代表的不仅是精湛工艺，更是一种与现代工业社会形成鲜明对照的东方文明想象。九龙、日轮、宫廷纹样以及复杂而华丽的装饰风格，共同构成了一种具有强烈“中国特色”的视觉语言。

此件九龙银礼碗因此不仅是一件制作精良的外销银器，更是晚清中国向世界展示自身文化形象的重要物证。它汇集九龙体系、隐龙设计、日轮纹样与高浮雕龙纹装饰于一器之中，将清代帝王象征、通商口岸工艺传统与国际市场需求巧妙结合。它所呈现的并非一个静止不变的“传统中国”，而是一个在全球贸易、世界博览会与跨文化交流过程中不断被展示、理解与再创造的中国形象。尤为难得的是，本器与本场拍卖 Lot 4110 清代九龙五爪龙袍共同分享“九龙”与“八显一隐”的宫廷视觉体系，使两件不同材质、不同用途的器物，共同见证了清代帝王象征如何从宫廷制度延伸至晚清外销艺术之中。

尺寸：高 13 7/8 英寸，直径 10 1/4 英寸（34.8 × 25.4 厘米）

Heavily tarnished, surface wear, scratches, discoloration. For condition report, please contact the Asian Art Department.