ÿ4AN IMPORTANT GEORGE III SILVER-GILT TOILET SERVICE

细节

ÿ4AN IMPORTANT GEORGE III SILVER-GILT TOILET SERVICE
LONDON, 1764, MAKER'S MARK OF WILLIAM CRIPPS

Comprising:

A pair of rectangular caskets, each on spreading foot chased with a band of gadrooning, the sides chased with scrolls, fruit and foliage within applied crimped-wire borders, enclosing asymmetrical cartouches engraved with a coat-of-arms and Earl's coronet, the hinged domed covers set with plaques depicting Venus and Adonis in a landscape with Cupid and eroti and The Death of Adonis with Venus being consoled by the Three Graces within similar borders and engraved with a crest and Earl's coronet, marked on bases--10 5/8in. (27cm.) long

A rectangular casket the sides chased with the same decoration and similarly engraved, the cover set with a pin cushion within similar borders, marked on base and cover--9 5/8in. (24.4cm.) long

A pair of circular boxes, the sides chased with similar decoration and similarly engraved, the removable covers set with plaques depicting Apollo and Daphne and Venus and Adonis, marked on bases and covers--5 1/2in. (14.1cm.) diam.

A smaller pair, the sides chased with similar decoration and similarly engraved, the removable covers set with plaques depicting Cadmus and the Dragon and erseus and the Sea Monster, marked on bases and covers--4 5/8in.(11.2cm.) diam.
A smaller pair, the sides chased with similar decoration and similarly engraved, the removable covers set with plaques depicting Hercules and Iole and Dryope(Iole's sister)taking a branch from the nymph Lotis embodied as a tree with her son looking on, marked on bases and covers--4 1/4in. (10.9cm.) diam.

A rectangular glove tray, the borders chased with similar decoration and engraved with a coat-of-arms enclosing a plaque depicting The Hunt of the Calydonian Boar with figures of Atalanta and Meleager, apparently unmarked--9 3/4in. (24.7cm.) long

A pair of baluster vases on spreading bases chased with rocaille, the lower bodies chased with spiral flutes and at the shoulders with foliage, the screw-on covers cast and chased as foliage, revealing removable grilles,, marked on bases--7in. (17.8cm.) high

A pair of Corinthian column candlesticks 1764, maker's mark of Emick Romer on square bases chased with bands of foliage and egg-and-dart, rising to stop-fluted stemsd and openwork capitals, with removable square egg-and-dart nozzles, marked on bases and nozzles--11 3/8in. (28.7cm.) high

A cartouche-shaped looking glass on two lion paw and ball feet, the border chased with foliage and surmounted by a scroll and foliate cartouche engraved with the same arms (restorations),apparently unmarked, 27 1/4in. (69.2cm.) high

(335 oz. excluding candlesticks)

刻印

The arms are those of Howard impaling those of Trevor, for Henry, 12th Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, born in 1739. He was High Steward of Malmesbury 176301767 and Deputy Earl Marshall 1763-1765. He served as Secretary of State for the North from 1771 until his death, and awarded the Garter in 1778. In politics he was a Grenville Whig and led that section of the party after Grenville's death.

In 1764 Lord Suffolk married Maria Constantia, only daughter of Robert Trevor, later 1st Viscount Hampden. She died in childbirth on February 7, 1767 and her husband subsequently married Charlotte, daughter of his maternal uncle, Heneage, 3rd Earl of Aylesford. He died in 1779.

In November 1757 Mrs. Delany had written of him as "a pretty young man, lively and natural" but on November 9, 1775, Horace Walpole speaks of him as being (from gout) "an absoluite cripple" though "eager to act a more considerable part" being "as ambitious as if he had parts." He also remarks, in March 1779, that "[Lord Suffolk's] death is is no blow but to his family. Seldom was he abnle to do any business; and had no talents when he could" [Complete Peerage]

拍品专文

The embossed plaques of this toilet service, apparently of 17th century date, are identical to those in three important Charles II toilet services all dated 1683 and by the same maker: the Calverly service at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Earl of Lichfield service (Christie's London, Novermver 22, 1978, lot 176), and the Morgan service (Christie's New York, October 26, 1982, lot 53). The rectangular plaques depicting Venus and Adonis and the Death of Adonis on the present service are identical to those set in the pair of caskets in the Morgan service, and another identical Venus and Adonis plaque is used in the Calverly service's single casket. The two circular plaques depicting Iole and Dryope match, respectively, one in the Morgan service and one in the Lichfield service.

The rectangular plaques of Venus and Adonis and the Calydonian Boar Hunt, both scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, are identical to two plaques attributed to a follower of Gugliemo della Porta (d. 1577), illustrated in Ingrid Weber, Deutsche, Niederlandische and Franzosische Renaissanceplaketten 1500-1650, 1975, figs. 673.2 and 673.3. Weber suggests that these plaques, formerly attributed to Paulus van Vianen, were made after the works of Jacob Cornelisz Cobaert (1535-1615) of Flanders, who modelled several reliefs after della Porta, in many cases simplifying the designs. Definite attribution of these plaques is difficult because della Porta's designs were widely disseminated following the theft of the models from his estate.