This pair of silver salt cellars takes the form of miniature two-handled trophy cups, each set on a stepped pedestal base with high-relief decoration running around the borders, and each interior finished in gold wash — a common touch on Chinese export silver, since gilding protected the metal from salt's corrosive effects while also looking rather grand for something meant to hold a condiment.
Wang Hing was one of the most prolific and well-regarded workshops producing silver for Western export out of Hong Kong in the late nineteenth century, and pieces from the firm are marked accordingly — these carry the stamp "WH90" on the base, along with an additional Chinese character mark, both fairly typical of the firm's output from this period. Export silver like this was made specifically to appeal to European and American taste while still showing off the technical skill of Chinese silversmiths, and a pair this small and specific in form is the kind of thing that tends to survive as a set far less often than it should.
Condition notes
Great antique condition. Some very light wear to gilt.
