The Teniers Rosewater Ewer and Basin. A Flemish Silver ewer and basin

The Teniers Rosewater Ewer and Basin. A Flemish Silver ewer and basin. The basin with mark of Philips Le Noir, Ghent, 1682-1683, The ewer  with mark of  Wierick Somers III, Antwerp, circa 1696. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2011

The shaped circular basin with broad border chased with five shaped cartouches, the first depicting two putti playing with a tethered dove, the second with a putto pouring wine from a ewer into a drinking bowl held by another putto, the third with two drunken putti with the broken ewer between them, the fourth with a seated putto embracing another holding a bird seated on a perch, the fifth with two putti filling a drinking bowl and ewer from a waterfall, the top of the border chased and engraved with two coats-of-arms accollé with putti supporters, the centre chased with the seated figure of the Maid of Ghent, the lion resting his head upon her lap, both within a pallisade with a city beyond, all encircled by a ribbon-bound laurel wreath over which extends the banner held by the maid which bears the inscription SPQG (Senatus Populus Que Gandavensis), the tapering cylindrical ewer on detachable spreading circular foot with fluted border, with bracket handle and covered spout with heart shaped opening, the hinged cover with shell and foliage thumbpiece and acanthus bud finial, the foot and cover chased with a band of shell, scroll and berried husks, the upper body with scrolling flowers and foliage, both on a matted ground, the body engraved with two coats-of-arms accollé, marked on ewer foot and the border of the basin
The basin 28¼ (72 cm.) diam.
The ewer 11 in. (28 cm.) high
The basin 114 oz. (3,553 gr.)
The ewer 52 oz. (1,640 gr.)
The arms are those of Van Goethem and Bonnaerens, for Bartholomeus Alexander van Goethem (1651-1722) and his wife Anna Maria (1652-1727), née Bonnaerens, mother of David Teniers IV (1672-1731) by her first husband David Teniers III (1638-1685). (2)

Estimate £300,000 - £500,000($480,600 - $801,000). Price Realized £337,250 ($538,251)

Provenance: Purchased in Antwerp from silversmith Wierick Somers III on 2 March 1696 by David Teniers IV (1672-1731), son of David Teniers III (1638-1685) and Anna Maria, neé Bonnaerens.
A gift to his mother and stepfather Anna Maria (1652-1727), neé Bonnaerens and Bartholomeus Alexander van Goethem (1651-1722) on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of their marriage, and then by descent.

Literature: E. Dilis, Notice sur Wierick Somers le Vieux, orfèvre-ciseleur anversois, 1re moitié de 17e sièle, Antwerp, 1903, pp. 16-17
P. Baudouin and G. de Coninck, 'Zilver op tafel: Vlaams tafelzilver van de 16e tot 18e eeuw', Openbaar Kunstbezit in Vlaanderen, 1984, pp. 121-163, no. 22.
Exhibition catalogue, Silver from the Antwerp Golden Age, Antwerp Domestic Silver from the 17th and 18th Century, 1988, p. 97, no. 75, the ewer illustrated.
P. Baudouin, P. Colman and D. Goethals, De edelsmeedkunst in Belgie: profaan zilver in da 16e, 17e, 18e eeuw, Tielt, 1988, p. 77, no. 71.
P. Baudouin, 'Verkenning van de Antwerpse edelsmeedkunst', Genootschap voor Antwerpse Geschiedenis, p. 399.

Exhibited: Ghent, Exposition Universelle et International, L'art ancien dans les Flandres: Région de l'Escaut, 1913, no. 633
Antwerp, World Fair, Wereldtentoonstelling voor Kolonin, Zeevaart en Oud-Vlaamsche Kunst, 1930, no. F5
Ghent, Museum Vanderhaegen, Oud edelsmeedwerk en Chinees porselein, 1953, described as by 'Miricus Soenens', no. 4
Deurne, Provinciaal Museum Sterckshof, Kunstvoorwerpen uit verzamelingen in de Provincie Antwerpen, 1961, no. 175
Brussels, Generale Bankmaatschappij, Burglijk zilverwerk met de stempls van Belgische steden 17e en 18e eeuw uit private verzamelingen, 1969, no. 4 and 45 and pl. V.
Ghent, Bijlokemuseum, Meesterwerken in zilver uit privé-veramelingen, 1985, the ewer no. 38, the dish, 185.
Antwerp, The Rubens House, Silver from the Antwerp Golden Age, Antwerp Domestic Silver from the 17th and 18th Century, 1988, November 1988 - January 1989, no. 75.

Notes: It is rare to find a 17th century ewer accompanied by the rosewater basin with which it was purchased in the late 17th century. It is rarer still for both to belong to a descendant of the 17th century owner, and it is almost unheard of for pieces of this importance to be accompanied by the original bill of purchase. The Teniers ewer and basin are both exceptional survivals and magnificent examples of the finest Flemish goldsmith's work. They were acquired by the artist David Teniers IV (1672-1731) in Antwerp from silversmith Wierick Somers III on the 2 March 1696 (see illustration). The ewer and basin, or 'Lampetpot' and 'schotel' as they are described on the invoice, were a gift to his mother and stepfather, Anna Maria, née Bonnaerens and Bartholomeus Alexander van Goethem on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of their marriage. The joining of the two families is celebrated by the accollé coats-of-arms engraved on the putti supported oval cartouches on the broad border of the dish and the arms simply engraved on the body of the ewer. The border of the dish is chased in the auricular style with masks, berried acanthus foliage scrolls and cartouches enclosing putti. The centre depicts the coat-of-arms of the City of Gent, with the allegorical figure of the Maid of Ghent and with the lion resting at her feet. Teniers was the grandson of the artist David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) and the son of David Teniers III (1638-1685), who had married Anna Maria Bonnarens in 1671.

The rosewater ewer and basin are the grandest form of display plate. As the centrepiece of a buffet or sideboard they represented the hospitality of the host and his wealth. These costly objects evolved from the dishes held by servants beneath the hands of a guest to catch the scented rosewater poured from a ewer. This was an essential part of the ritual of dining when the guests used a knife, a spoon and their fingers to eat. With the advent of the fork and a refinement of the etiquette of dining the rosewater ewer and basin became to be used more for display than use. During times of hardship it was not unusual to melt wrought silver objects to produce bullion or coinage. This places an even greater important on the richness of the decoration of the dish and ewer - the skills of the greatest chasers being a large part of the cost of production.

The translation of the bill

"A large silver dish (not deep), the border skillfully repoussé with in a centre the Virgin of Gand, and weighing 116.5 ounces and half (English?) bought from him and including the making priced at 61,5 silver deniers per ounces bringing it to 354 florins 6.

A silver ewer, also skillfully repoussé and weighing 53 ounces and 11 "English" bought from the same maker at 55 deniers per ounces totalling 147 florins and 5.

For the making of the ewer as agreed, 25 florins.

For a reward given as the arms were so well engraved, 10 florins.

In money the total being 537 florins.

Made in Antwerp March 2nd 1696"

Chtristie's. The Exceptional Sale 2011, 7 July 2011, London, King Street www.christies.com

Navire en argent, vermeil, émail, cabochons de pierre dure et de perles. Autriche, XIXème siècle

Navire en argent, vermeil, émail, cabochons de pierre dure et de perles. Autriche, XIXème siècle. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage

Navire à trois mats, canons sortis reposant sur un piédouche ajouré à décor de rinceaux et fleurettes. .Haut.: 48 cm - Long.: 40 cm - Larg.: 17 cm - Estimation : 15 000 - 20 000 €

Delorme & Collin du Bocage. Mercredi 03 août à 19h15. HOTEL MAJESTIC BARRIÈRE 10 La Croisette, 06407 Cannes - Salon Croisette et le Salon Dinard. EMail : info@parisencheres.com - Tél. : 01 58 18 39 05

Fontaine en argent posant sur 4 colonnes torsadées à médaillons de coquilles enserrant un aigle

Fontaine en argent posant sur 4 colonnes torsadées à médaillons de coquilles enserrant un aigle aux ailes éployées sur un clocheton. photo Delorme & Collin du Bocage

à décor rocaille. Elle supporte la vasque à larges peignées et frise de feuilles lancéolées, entourée d'une galerie ajourée à motifs de volutes feuillagées et têtes d'aigles entrecoupée de 3 statuettes de rapaces. En son centre, 4 autres colonnes torsadées alternant avec 4 têtes de chevaux entourent une tête de cheval plus importante et supportent un bassin à côtes rondes orné en applique de 16 mufles de lion formant verseurs. Le tout est surmonté d'un aigle éployé posé sur un rocher.

Poids net: env. 130 kg. Hauteur: 2,56 m. Diamètre de la vasque: 1,02 m. Avec ses 2 moteurs et sa pompe à eau.  Estimation : 200 000 - 250 000 €

Delorme & Collin du Bocage. Mercredi 03 août à 19h15. HOTEL MAJESTIC BARRIÈRE 10 La Croisette, 06407 Cannes - Salon Croisette et le Salon Dinard. EMail : info@parisencheres.com - Tél. : 01 58 18 39 05

Châsse reliquaire.

Châsse reliquaire. photo Coutau-Begarie

Cristal de roche, bronze doré, relique. H. : 16,5 cm, L. : 11 cm, L. : 21,5 cm. Estimation : 3 000 / 5 000 €

Le corps es composé d'une masse rectangulaire à toit en pente creux en cristal de roche - celui-ci est gravé sur toutes faces d'arcatures simples et de motifs floraux, l'intérieur une relique dont l'inscription date du XIXe siècle.
Ce bloc est enchâssé dans une monture en bronze doré dont les côtés à arcatures reposent chacun sur deux lions couchés aux corps opposés.
Au sommet une crête découpée relie les deux côtés.
Sur les montants et à chaque extrémité une gravure représentant un motif architecturé et un Saint personnage, à la bases sous le cristal une barre transversale renforce le montage.
Le sommet d'un pinacle est cassé et le côté enfoncé, usures à la dorure, importants chocs dans la masse de cristal, petits accidents et manques.
Composée à partir d'éléments disparates d'époques diverses dans le goût du Moyen Âge.

Provenance : Collection du Comte RIANT puis par descendance.

Paul, comte Riant 1836 - 1888. Membre de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, membre de la Société Nationale des Antiquaires de France.
Auteur de la célèbre thèse sur les croisades, Paul Riant se constitua une bibliothèque de plus de 40 000 volumes qu'il légua en grande partie à l'Université d'Harvard à Cambridge et à la bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire de Lausanne.
Le fond sur l'Orient latin, fût légué à la bibliothèque Sainte Geneviève de Paris.

Coutau-Begarie - Paris. Vente du Vendredi 26 novembre 2010. Drouot Richelieu - Salle 5 - 9, rue Drouot - 75009 Paris

Two Italian Silver "Naturalistic" Dishes & an Italian Silver "Renaissance Plate", Gianmaria Buccellati

Two Italian Silver "Naturalistic" Dishes, Gianmaria Buccellati, Bologna, late 20th century. photo courtesy Sotheby's

the first realistically chased as a sunflower blossom; the second formed as three leaf dishes joined by a twisted branch handle, undersides signed Gianmaria Buccellati, and with original fitted presentation cases; diameter of sunflower dish 33cm, length of leaf dish 43.2cm; 2165g - Estimate 6,000—8,000 USD Lot Sold 8,750 USD

An Italian Silver "Renaissance Plate", Gianmaria Buccellati, Bologna, 1999. photo courtesy Sotheby's

circular, the border chased with the signs of the zodiac, the center with Il Sole Leonardesco enclosed by a band chased VASSENE IL TEMPO E L'UOM NON SE NE AVVEDE; marked on underside and numbered 65/1000, with a fitted presentation case and certificate of authenticity signed by Gianmaria Buccellati; diameter 35.5cm; 809g - Estimate 2,500—3,500 USD. Lot Sold 3,125 USD

Important English & Continental Silver & Objects of Vertu, 21 Oct 10. New York www.sothebys.com

Monstrance à décor rayonnant, en bronze doré et émaux limousin. XIXème siècle

Monstrance à décor rayonnant, en bronze doré et émaux limousin. XIXème siècle. photo courtesy Aguttes - Lyon

H : 89 cm - Estimation : 1 300 / 1 500 €

Aguttes - Lyon. Vente du Jeudi 4 novembre 2010. Hôtel des Ventes Lyon Brotteaux - 13 bis, Place Jules Ferry - 690006 Lyon. Pour tout renseignement, veuillez contacter la maison de ventes au 04 37 24 24 24.

Calice en bronze et bronze argenté. Italie, XVIIème siècle

Calice en bronze et bronze argenté. Italie, XVIIème siècle. photo courtesy Aguttes - Lyon

H : 21, 5 cm - Estimation : 800 / 1 000 €

Aguttes - Lyon. Vente du Jeudi 4 novembre 2010. Hôtel des Ventes Lyon Brotteaux - 13 bis, Place Jules Ferry - 690006 Lyon. Pour tout renseignement, veuillez contacter la maison de ventes au 04 37 24 24 24.

Paire de flambeaux en argent par Joseph-Pierre-Jacques Duguay, Paris, 1771

Paire de  flambeaux en argent par Joseph-Pierre-Jacques Duguay, Paris, 1771. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd., 2010

La base à contours bordée de feuilles de chêne et d'une frise de rinceaux avec médaillons de mascarons et d'animaux, l'ombilic à décor de têtes et de grappes de raisin et gravé des initiales JB dans un médaillon surmonté d'une couronne de comte, le fût balustre repoussé de personnages mythologiques (Hercule, muse, Bacchus, Proserpine, Cérès, Apollon, muse et bacchant), le binet orné de trophées, poinçons sous le bord et dans le fond: charge, jurande (lettre H) et maître-orfèvre; dans les binets: traces de deux poinçons; sur les bords: décharge. Hauteur: 28,5 cm. (11¼ in.), 1260 gr. (44.45 oz.) (2) - Estimate €18,000 - €22,000 Price Realized €22,500

Christie's. Le Haras d'Estimauville. Oeuvres et Objets d'Art provenant des Collections Rothschild, 26 - 27 October 2010, Paris www.christies.com

Christie's Presents the Stuart Collection of Magnificent Regency Silver

A George III Silver-Gilt Tea Tray Mark of Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith, Estimate: $250,000-350,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

NEW YORK, NY.- On October 19, Christie's will present an exquisite group of Regency and George IV silver from The Stuart Collection. Assembled by a gentleman from Louisiana, this superb assortment of over 50 works from celebrated artists such as Paul Storr, Philip Rundell, and Robert Garrard II, encompasses an impressive range of style and forms that captured the opulence of England in the early 19th century.

The Sawbridge-Erle-Drax Wine-Coaster Wagons
Leading the collection is a monumental pair of George IV silver-gilt double wine coaster wagons, mark of Edward Barnard & Sons, London, 1829 (estimate: $400,000-600,000). These magnificent wine trolleys, or "jolly wagons," are exceptionally large and sculptural examples, with a silver content of over 354 ounces. Each wagon would have held decanted wine and port and was passed to guests along the dining table.

A monumental pair of George IV silver-gilt double wine coaster wagons, mark of Edward Barnard & Sons, London, 1829. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Each fitted with two removeable coasters, on shaped oblong base and four shell and scroll feet, cast with a coat-of-arms on either side, each flanked by matted scrolling foliage and vines, applied at either end with a heraldic figure in the form of a demi-lion holding a saw and a demi-griffin, the openwork coasters with borders of putti playing among matted foliage below everted rims of grape-laden vines, the center engraved with a coat-of-arms, each marked on coaster base and field, body of wagon, and wheel wells, the coasters and wagons also stamped D. Ellis London Fecit. The wagons 20¼ in. (50.5 cm.) long, the coasters 7¼ in. (18.5 cm.) diameter; 354 oz. 18 dwt. (10,135 gr.), recorded weight at manufacture (2) - Estimate: $400,000-600,000

Provenance; J.C.W. Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, Esq. of Bilting House, sold Christie's, London, 27 February 1929, lot 44
Trustees of the late H. E. Christy, Esq. sold Christie's, London, 7 October 1946, lot 94
Collection of Sir William Butlin, MBE, sold Christie's, 17 July 1968, lot 34
Sotheby's, London, 3 May 1984, lot 143
Christie's, New York, 16 April 2004, lot 79

Literature; Vanessa Brett, The Sotheby's Directory of Silver, 1600-1940, 1986, no. 1373
The Glory of the Goldsmith: Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, Christie's, London, 1989, no. 163, p. 211

Exhibited; "The Glory of the Goldsmith: Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection," Christie's, London, 1989, no. 163

Notes; The arms are those of Drax quartering those of Erle, Sawbridge and others with Drax in pretense, for John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge (1800-87) who married Jane Francis Erle-Drax on 1 May 1827. She was heiress to her brother, Richard Erle-Drax-Grosvenor, who died on 13 August 1828. As part of his wife's inheritance, Sawbridge assumed the additional surname and arms of Erle-Drax.

These magnificent wine trolleys, or "jolly wagons," are exceptionally large and sculptural examples, with a silver content of over 354 ounces. David Ellis, the retailer who supplied them to J. C. W. Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, paid Barnard's the very high price of £187-19s-10d for them in 1829. In their Day Book recording the sale, Barnard's described them as "Two richly chasd wavd Bottle Coasters abt. 20 by 9 openwork Chasd scrolls rising in foliage at ends with demi Griffin and lion crests, antique shields with engravd arms and side & chasd feet, & patt Casters on Mahogany bottoms. Pitchd & raisd silvr bottoms sunk to receive B. Stds. 4 Chasd piercd foliage & boys B. Stds with piercd Vine edges & Silver bottoms" The recorded silver weight at the time of manufacture was 354 oz. 18 dwt. (Barnard & Sons, Day Book, 26 September 1829, illustrated in Sotheby's, London, 3 May 1984, p. 96).

These wagons belong to a distinguished group of wine-related silver commissioned by Sawbridge-Erle-Drax, including four wine coolers also by Barnard's and a pair of claret jugs (the coolers were sold Christie's, London, 23 June 1971, lot 12).

Additional highlights include:

A FINE GEORGE IV SILVER-GILT WARWICK VASE AND PLINTH MARK OF PAUL STORR, LONDON, 1823. Estimate: $60,000-90,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

In the form of the Warwick Vase, the square base with foliate scroll and stiff leaf borders, applied with a silver plaque depicting the storming of the Redan, portrait bust of Major General Charles Ashe Windham, also engraved with coat-of-arms and presentation inscription, the base of the vase stamped 'SMITH & NICHOLSON DUKE ST. LINN. INN FIELDS,' marked on vase, plinth, the bust and applied plaque, four nuts apparently unmarked; 18¼ in. (46.3 cm.) high; 325 oz. (10,119 gr.)

Notes: The Warwick Vase, a colossal marble vase from the 2nd century AD, became one of the most celebrated pieces of antiquity. The vase, measuring nearly six feet high, was excavated in 1770 from a lake at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli and acquired by Sir William Hamilton, antiquarian and Ambassador to Naples. It was later sold to the Earl of Warwick who installed it on the grounds of Warwick Castle noting: "I built a noble greenhouse and filled it with beautiful plants. I placed in it a vase, considered as the finest remains of Grecian art extant for size and beauty." Several views of the vase were engraved by G.B. Piranesi in Vasi, Candelabri, Cippi, Sarcofagi of 1778 and served as inspiration for silver and silver-gilt versions during the Regency period.

The arms are those of Windham for Sir Charles Ashe Windham C.B. (1810-1870). Charles Ashe Windham was born in 1810 and educated at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. In 1854, he went to the Crimea and on September 8th, 1855, led the advance against the Redan. Windham walked through the gunfire uninjured and with a striking calm. The press took note of his bravery, Windham was promoted to Major-General, and when he returned to England, he received gifts of gratitude including the present vase.

The plinth is inscribed:
To Major General Charles Ashe Windham, C.B.
This vase is presented as a token of the great respect entertained for him by his friends in Warwickshire, and especially of their high admiration of those brilliant services during the Crimean War, which have not only secured for him the gratitude of his fellow countrymen, but won for him an imperishable name in history as the hero of the Redan.

AN IMPORTANT PAIR OF EARLY VICTORIAN SILVER-GILT MOUNTED AGATE CANDLESTICKS MARK OF ROBERT GARRARD II, LONDON, 1839 .  Estimate: $40,000-60,000.  Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

In historicist taste; each baluster form, the pale brown striped agate candlestick on square base with canted angles, the base set on four silver-gilt scroll bracket feet and chased with shells, foliage and diaperwork and applied with a frog and salamanders, the stem with silver-gilt knops at intervals with foliage, grotesque masks and a bee, each marked on base, two upper knops and nut; 7 in. (17.8 cm.) high (2)

Provenance: The Duke of Buckingham; The Stowe Sale, sold Christie's, August 1848, lot 1089 [£48 16s 6d to Sir Anthony de Rothschild]
Sir Anthony de Rothschild 1st Bt. (1810-1876)
Christie's, London, 12 May 1993, lot 74
Christie's, London, 14 June 2005, lot 110

Literature: H.R. Forster, The Stowe Catalogue Priced and Annotated, 1848, p. 69 J. Culme, "The Most Shocking Fakes," The Silver Society Journal No. 2, 1991, illus. p. 86

Notes

THE STOWE SALE

The Stowe sale, a forty-day sale of the contents of the Duke of Buckingham's family seat in 1848, was widely covered by the contemporary press, as it represented an astonishing reversal of fortune for one of England's greatest families. Richard, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos (1797-1861), through excessive expenditure and land speculation, had within eight years of his succession become a "ruined man," bankrupt with debts of over one million pounds. The Times wrote censoriously of the Duke "as a man of the highest rank, and of a property not unequal to his rank, who has flung away all by extravagance and folly, and reduced his honour to the tinsel of a pauper and the baubles of a fool."

Of the dispersal of contents at Stowe, H. R. Forster wrote: "The desecration to which the ancestral halls of the Duke of Buckingham have lately been subjected, has been regarded almost as a national disgrace. The 'household goods' of the ancestral home of the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos have been shivered to fragments, which can never again be re-united. Those public and private testimonies of the estimation in which the family has been held from generation to generation, and which must have possessed for their owners a value wholly extrinsic of their commercial worth, have been torn from them, and 'scattered to the four winds of heaven'."


THE CANDLESTICKS

These remarkable historicist candlesticks were sold on the ninth day of the sale, from the State Bed Chamber, so named as it had been occupied by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. As with the sale itself, these candlesticks were the subject of controversy. It was evidently the belief of many in the saleroom, including the purchaser, Sir Anthony de Rothschild (1810-1876), that they were of the Renaissance period; certainly the price realised, over 48 pounds, was astronomical for candlesticks which were in fact made just nine years earlier by the Royal goldsmith Robert Garrard in Panton Street.

H.R. Forster commented: "These candlesticks were very beautiful specimens of workmanship, and generally believed to be antique. They were put in at five guineas, from which sum they ran rapidly up to forty. The biddings then became more select, and were chiefly confined to Sir Anthony Rothschild and one or two other parties: Sir Anthony at length secured their possession for forty-six and a half guineas. When the hammer fell, the manager of a well-known London house, rising from his seat at the table, quietly remarked 'I made them and sold them for less than half the money.' This observation naturally occasioned some excitement in the room; and Mr. Manson, who was selling, administered a rather sharp rebuke to the gentleman alluded to. Having witnessed the occurrence, we are inclined to attribute the remark to a very natural feeling of surprise at the success of the manufacturer's art in deceiving the connoisseur, and to acquit the party of any blame in the matter."

THE SILVERSMITH: GARRARD'S

Garrard's, the Crown jewelers and successors to the venerable firms of George Wickes and Parker and Wakelin, is best known for its imposing presentation pieces of the Victorian era. Yet, it is the eclectic and sculptural designs for household silver of the 1830s-1850s that warrant further consideration and study.

The Stuart Collection includes three lots by Garrard. These agate "Renaissance" candlesticks represented a taste for treasury objects that were eagerly sought after by sophisticated connoisseurs like William Beckford and members of the Rothschild family. The magnificent marine theme salt cellars (lot 83), which draw upon the designs of the talented French silversmith, J.V. Morel, and the fiery dragons which serve as the flames for the cauldron-form salt cellars (lot 80) reflect the quality, creativity and sculptural nature of the firm's output. In addition, this auction features Garrard's double-magnum wine coasters with Rothschild arms (lot 69), surely one of the most impressive designs in wine silver since the height of the Regency era.

A RARE REGENCY SILVER AND SILVER-GILT CHESS SET MARK OF EDWARD FARRELL, LONDON, 1816,  Estimate: $80,000-120,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

The royal pieces shown as crowned orientals, riding camels side saddle, the bearded bishops shown wearing robes and mitres and carrying processional crosses, the equestrian knights as mustachioed and cuirassed cavalrymen, their helmets crested with salamanders, holding aloft batons, the rooks as elephants with castellated howdahs each surmounted by a pennant, the pawns as Roman foot soldiers, shown helmeted and wearing capes, each marked on side or under base, one king, two queens and three rooks sterling standard, together with an oversized wood chess board; The kings 3¼ in. (9.5 cm.) high; the pawns 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm.) high; the chess board 26½ in. (67.3 cm.) square (33).

Provenance: Christie's, South Kensington, 25 June 1997, lot 705

Notes: Lots 111-113 are the work of Edward Farrell (d. 1850), who inarguably produced some of the greatest silver in the 19th century. Farrell most notably supplied silver to the Duke of York, through his association with the retailer Kensington Lewis. Farrell's work drew upon disparate styles and subject matter, with a particular affinity for Renaissance and Mannerist prototypes. The oriental motif of this chess service is also seen on an elephant-form bottle ticket, 1818, which is illustrated in John Culme, "Kensington Lewis: A Nineteenth-Century Businessman," The Connoisseur, September 1975, p. 27.

Silver chess sets are a great rarity. In addition to this set, Michael Clayton cites three: one 1689, one 1750, and another service by Farrell, nearly identical to this one, that also dates to 1816. Each set features one side of silver, the other of silver-gilt. The other Farrell service sold Sotheby's, London, 15 June 1961, lot 152, and again from the collection of Mrs. Fay Plohn, Sotheby's, London, 15 October 1970, lot 55 and is illustrated in Michael Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, 1971, illus. p. 65, n. 123 and in Victor Keats, Chessmen for Collectors, 1985, p. 135, fig. 160.

A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT TEA TRAY MARK OF DIGBY SCOTT AND BENJAMIN SMITH, Estimate: $250,000-350,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2010

Oval, on four bacchanalian mask and goat's-hoof feet, the tray with cast and applied openwork grapevine border, with ribbon and berried laurel leaf rim, the handles centering a leopard's mask with fruit garland rim and ram's-head joins, the field engraved with a band of scrolling foliage with baskets of fruit at intervals, the center later engraved with a coat-of-arms, marked under base and rim, stamped RUNDELL BRIDGE ET RUNDELL AURIFICES REGIS ET PRINCIPIS WALLIAE LONDINI FECERUNT; 30¼ in. (76.8 cm.) long; 222 oz. 10 dwt. (6391 gr.)

Notes; The arms are of those of Lowther as borne by the Earls of Lonsdale.

This model of tray, characterized by vine borders, leopard handles, and an exceptionally fine engraved border, is the most accomplished and extravagant of its type in Regency silver.

Other examples include a set of six, 1809-1810, in the Royal Collection and illustrated in A. E. Jones. A tray by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith of 1805, with the arms of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of George III, sold from the collection of the Earl of Harewood, Christie's, London, 30 June 1965, lot 111, and again at Sotheby's, New York, 17 October 1995, lot 63. A silver-gilt tray by Benjamin and James Smith of 1809, with identical openwork frame and handles and engraved border was sold at Sotheby's, London, 1 June 2006, lot 51. Another by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith of 1806 is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Three others, of 1803, 1805, and 1809, are illustrated in The Glory of the Goldsmith: Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, 1989, nos. 115, 126, and 129.

Auction: Important Silver including The Stuart Collection of Magnificent Regency Silver October 19

Viewing: Christie's Rockefeller Galleries October 15-18

Silver beakers from Kassa (Kaschau), dated 1687; Augsburg, 1700; Nuremberg, c. 1690; Berlin & Neisse, 1712

A very important Hungarian partgilded silver beaker with coins and the coat of arms of Semsei Semsey András, Kassa (Kaschau), dated 1687. © 2010 Nagel - Auctions

Maker's mark: Gregorius Békessy II. Weight c. 1030g.84 coins from the 17th ct. H. 15,3 cm - Estimate (EUR) 38000

Note: At the bottom the coat of arms with the Royal Hungarian crown.The beaker was probably a present to András Semsey from the Hungarian Governor Pál Esterhazy (Elected Palatine in 1681 and created Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1687)

A German silvergilt beaker, Augsburg, 1700 by Johann II Pepfenhauser. © 2010 Nagel - Auctions

C. 110g. - Minor restoration. H. 8 cm - Estimate (EUR) 2600

A partgilded silver beaker, Nuremberg, c. 1690. Maker's mark: Jacob Pfaff. © 2010 Nagel - Auctions

95g. - Minor dents. H. 9,8 cm - Estimate (EUR) 1800

A German silvergilt Baroque beaker, c. 1680. Later dated and marked at Berlin, c. "1772". © 2010 Nagel - Auctions

C. 150g. Minor restoration. H. 13 cm - Estimate (EUR) 1700

A Silesian baroque silver beaker, Neisse, 1712. Maker's mark: Martin Vogelhund. © 2010 Nagel - Auctions

147g. - Minor dented. H. 11 cm - Estimate (EUR) 1000

Nagel - Auctions. Art & Antiques. October 6th 2010 www.auction.de