Identification
Photo reference
2 uploaded photos
Overview
A large, finely worked silk-on-silk embroidery panel featuring a vibrant cockatoo, smaller songbirds, and blooming peonies. It bears a rare embroidered shop mark for 'Cheong Kee, Dealer in Silk Handkerchiefs,' a known merchant in the bustling export district of old Canton.
Story
During the Late Qing Dynasty, Canton was the exclusive gateway for Western trade, producing highly coveted luxury textiles for the global market. The survival of the English-language retailer tag highlights the intense, localized mercantile culture of Guangzhou's treaty port era.
Maker / Origin
Unattributed · Cheong Kee, Tak Ning Lane, Canton (Guangzhou), China, Late Qing Dynasty to Early Republic Period
Condition & Value
Values in antique silks are dramatically dictated by structural integrity; unfaded panels without 'silk shatter' command premium auction results. The embroidery itself remains vibrant, but the silk ground shows significant 'foxing' (age-related brown spotting) and some minor rippling.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
The market for Late Qing Canton export silk is strictly stratified by provenance, size, and condition. High-end, large-scale panels reliably hammer between $1,100 (Dominic Winter Auctioneers) and $1,500 (Lyon & Turnbull 'Hundred Birds' panel). Retail galleries routinely ask $2,000 to $2,900 for pristine, conserved examples. The verified Cheong Kee retailer tag acts as a significant value multiplier here, elevating this piece out of the anonymous $400–$650 tier (seen in generic late 19th-century lots) into a specialized collector-grade category. However, because the item's dimensions and physical condition remain unverified, the FMV rests conservatively below the monumental $1,500+ ceiling to account for potential size limitations or common structural silk degradation.
▲ Original 'Cheong Kee / Tak Ning Lane' stitched retailer label confirming period export provenance
▲ Institutional validation of the merchant via the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)
▲ Vibrant avian and botanical motifs, which are highly sought after in Chinoiserie collecting
▲ Hand-stitched Canton workshop execution, likely utilizing traditional floss silk techniques
▼ Exact dimensions are currently unknown, preventing precise size-class categorization
▼ Potential for 'silk shatter' (dry rot) or UV fading, which act as direct valuation deductions
▼ Moisture stains or moth damage, common in organic textiles from this era
Best Venue
A specialized Asian Works of Art or Fine Textiles auction (e.g., Bonhams, Skinner, or Hindman) that will heavily feature the documentary Cheong Kee label in the cataloguing.
Upside Potential
If the panel is monumental in size (e.g., exceeding 40 inches) and the original vegetable dyes remain unfaded with no structural silk shatter, specialized China Trade collectors could push bidding past $1,500.
Authenticity Notice
Medium risk. While generic Chinese export textiles are frequently reproduced or misdated, authenticating the specific typography and stitching of the Cheong Kee label against known museum exemplars confirms period authenticity.