Chinese export silver tea caddy in a quatrefoil form with lid, decorated with repousse scenes of figures, dogs, and birds in landscape settings on of the four sides of the body and repousse foliate designs on the shoulder and lid. Unidentified maker's marks in Chinese characters on underside. Tests sterling. 5" H x 3 1/2" W x 3 1/8" D. Weight: 8.730 troy ounces. Qing Dynasty, Late 19th/ early 20th century. Provenance: The collection of Gary Glesser of Loudon, Tennessee, by descent from his grandparents, Captain Hoyt and Rachel Holton of Toledo, Ohio. Hoyt Holton became, at age 17, the youngest captain of a Great Lakes Freighter. In the 1960s, Captain Holton participated in a 26-day Admiral Byrd Society trip replicating the explorer's famous transpolar expedition, during which he met the Pope and Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev. Many items in the collection were brought back as souvenirs from that journey and other frequent voyages.

PROVENANCE: See description for provenance information.

CONDITION: Overall good condition with expected surface oxidation.