This beautiful near antique Chinese export silver 3 piece tea set with rosewood tray was presented to Supt. Lovell and his wife upon his retirement in 1939 by members of the SMP Reserve Unit which he led from 1935 to 1939. With marks for Tuck Chang, a renowned Shanghai retail silversmith. Active from 1870 to 1920, Tuck Chang was the most popular Shanghai retail silversmiths and was the go-to for elites, international sporting establishments and the like. The tray is inscribed with signatures from the Reserve Unit members that he led, making this a remarkable piece of Shanghai history.
Supt. James Franklin Lovell (1892-1964) served in the Shanghai Municipal Police Force from 1914 to 1939. His remarkable life and career spanned the tumultuous years of post-Republic China and the Warlord Period, experiencing the heady decadence of the roaring 20s in Shanghai as well as the threat of Japanese aggression, Communist sentiment on the rise and the seething underbelly of Shanghai society. In particular from 1935 to 1939, Supt. Lovell was in charge of the Reserve Unit, the world’s first modern SWAT team.
He oversaw incidents such as numerous strikes in Japanese owned cotton mills in Shanghai (1936), the Kung Yik Cotton Mill Riot (1937) and several terrorist attacks/assassination attempts by various secret societies, such as that by the Yellow Way Society in 1938. All this on top of the usual state of affairs in 1930s Shanghai- the ongoing civil war, struggles against the deeply entrenched triads, secret societies as well as foreign espionage. All this and more will be explored in-depth in our ongoing Scandalous Silver editorial in the Antiques to Vintage Magazine.
Price marked at $15,000 AUD for the set.
Measurements:
Sugar bowl: 252.8grams. handle to handle 18cm, 12.5cm height.
Creamer jug: 192.2grams, 16cm handle to spout, 9cm height.
Teapot: 527.1 grams, 25cm handle to spout, 15.5 cm height
Tray: handle to handle 54 cm across, 30 cm width.
Excellent near antique condition, with light wear overall commensurate with age. Marks crisp and clear.
