Identification
Photo reference
2 uploaded photos
Overview
A large-scale Chinese export silk embroidery featuring a vibrant 'Birds and Flowers' motif, meticulously hand-stitched on a cream silk ground. It bears a rare embroidered shop mark for 'Cheong Kee,' a specialist dealer in Canton's famous Tak Ning Lane embroidery district.
Story
Cheong Kee operated out of Tak Ning Lane, Canton in the late 19th century, selling high-status luxury silk goods to Western travelers navigating the Maritime Silk Road. Produced during the twilight of the Qing Dynasty (c. 1880-1910), these pieces represent the peak of the artisanal 'China Trade' souvenir market before modern industrialization.
Maker / Origin
Unattributed · Cheong Kee, Tak Ning Lane, Canton (Guangzhou), China
Condition & Value
Silk from this era is highly susceptible to 'shattering' or dry rot; pristine examples retaining their structural integrity and vibrant colors command significant premiums. The silk shows visible 'foxing' (small brown oxidation spots) and some light staining, which is typical for 100-year-old textiles.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
The valuation logic rigidly separates small-format handkerchiefs from the expansive, high-value Canton piano shawls that frequently realize $500 to over $1,000 at auction. For small textiles, the baseline market is generally soft, with generic, unbranded examples routinely trading between $45 and $50 (as seen in recent eBay and Etsy sold results). However, the explicit 'Cheong Kee' documentary evidence acts as a significant value multiplier, appealing to dedicated collectors of China Trade ephemera rather than typical vintage linen buyers. A comparable high-quality unbranded example realized $95 at retail, while small framed pairs from the period have achieved $200 to $300 at specialized auctions. Therefore, an estimated auction hammer of $100 to $180 is appropriate for a single, well-documented example, assuming the silk remains free of severe structural deterioration.
▲ Original 'Cheong Kee' Tak Ning Lane commercial label/documentation
▲ Strong institutional parallels (National Gallery of Victoria holds a nearly identical label match)
▲ Handmade traditional Canton 'Yue' silk embroidery
▲ Crossover appeal for specialized China Trade and Maritime ephemera collectors
▼ Small-format textiles have an inherent market ceiling compared to large, wearable export shawls
▼ Extreme vulnerability to silk 'shattering' (dry rot) and UV fading
▼ Potential for edge fringe unravelling or moth damage, which directly dictates value deductions
Best Venue
Specialty auction house with a dedicated Asian Arts or Americana/China Trade department (e.g., Eldred's, Skinner, or Augusta Auctions)
Upside Potential
Uncirculated 'deadstock' condition retaining original boxes, or professional archival framing, could push bidding toward or beyond $250.
Authenticity Risk
Medium risk. While late 20th-century machine-embroidered tourist reproductions are abundant on the secondary market, they lack the fine hand-stitched Peking knots and authentic oxidation of period items. Authentication focuses on verifying the hand-stitched irregularities of the embroidery and the appropriate age oxidation of the Cheong Kee label.