This is a silver tray crafted by the Shanghai silversmith Zee Sung during the early Republic of China period. The plate is adorned with nineteen silver commemorative medals and coins from the late Qing to early Republic era. Zee Sung was active from the early Republic period until around the 1950s, known for creating larger pieces with a blend of artistic flair and meticulous attention to detail.
The centre of the silver tray features bamboo decorations, symbolising nobility and purity, along with the inscription “EvK.” The edges are designed to mimic bamboo segments, and the nineteen commemorative medals and coins are securely embedded in their respective positions around the perimeter. A careful comparison of the coins used reveals the absence of the “Junk Dollar,” the new national currency issued by the Nationalist Government after the Northern Expedition starting in AD 1933, featuring Sun Yat-sen’s portrait. The latest coin included is the Duan Qirui presidencycommemorative coin, suggesting that the tray was likely crafted between AD 1924 and AD 1933.
Upon examining the back of the silver tray, there are three circular feet, with a noticeable patina that has developed a distinct mottled slate-grey colouration. Additionally, Shi Xin’s personal hallmark “ZEESUNG” is present, flanked by the Chinese characters “儉” enclosed within a square frame on either side.
The business of Zee Sung is documented in modern Shanghai archives. In the AD 1921 publication of the “Far Eastern Finance and Commerce Yearbook,” Zee Sung is listed as one of the principal advertisers. Further, the “1925 China Commercial Directory” specifically records the company’s address at 105 Szechuan Road, Shanghai, detailing its operations as jewellers, silversmiths, watch repairers, engravers, and dealers in diamonds and pearls. The last known record of Zee Sung appears in the AD 1947 “Shanghai Telephone Directory,” listed under the “Jewelry – Retail” category as “Zee Sung Jewelry & Co., 464 Szechuan C (Szechuan).”
