Marked 'Edward I. Farmer, New York.' 3 1/8 x 3 1/2 in. Provenance: Sigrist House, Nassau. Note: Edward Farmer was a New York City based antiques dealer who specialized in Chinese decorative arts in the beginning of the twentieth century. His store, Edward I. Farmer Chinese Antiques and Interiors, was located at 5 West 56th Street. Farmer is best known for remounting antique Chinese belt buckles and vessels in silver to create desk accessories and objects. A nearly identical jade ashtray appears in a Country Life magazine ad in December 1923.,