ROUND UP: The highlight of the latest silver sale held by Dreweatts of Donnington Priory was this George I Britannia standard chocolate cup.
Marked for Thomas Folkingham, London 1714 to
both cup and cover (the latter reversing to form a saucer), the 4in
(10cm) baluster-shaped vessel was also distinctive for a
ball-capped leather-bound handle. The armorial is probably for Miss
Bagot.
Covered chocolate cups of this period are
rare, although another of the same simple form by Simon Pantin I,
hallmarked 1709, has appeared on the market twice in recent memory:
at Bonhams in 1995 and as part of the Charles L. Poor collection of
early English silver sold by Sotheby's New York in 2005, when it
took $22,500.
Dreweatts' example was in fine condition with the marks a
little rubbed but clear and two silver solder patches to the base.
Estimated at £3000-5000 for the sale on June 13, it sold for
£20,000.
The buyer's premium 22%
Stockholm
Silversmith
A late entry to the catalogue offered by
Chiswick Auction Rooms on June 3 was an
18th century Swedish silver coffee pot with marks for Pehr
Zethelius of Stockholm.
Zethelius was a pioneer of the Gustavian
style, but this 12in (30cm) high vessel (missing its wooden handle)
is very typical of Sweden's restrained rococo style - a mirror
smooth surface punctuated only by a single repoussé floral spray
and a delicate flower and petal finial.
Auctioneer William Rouse described its
arrival in the West London salerooms: "A gentleman walked in and
said he wanted £7000 for a coffee pot without a handle. We
initially said that we thought he was crazy but he said it was a
rare thing and the silversmith was the Swedish equivalent of Paul
Storr. We checked this out, agreed it was rare and took a
punt."
It paid off, with bidding arriving via
the-saleroom.com and on commission - the latter winning at
£7800.
The buyer's premium was 20%
French and German
Silver
If 18th century Swedish silver is a
rare visitor to a UK regional saleroom then French Empire material
is not too far behind.
An 8in (20cm) high, 18oz silver gilt jug
seen at
Lockdales of Ipswich on June 13-14 was struck for France
1798-1809 and the maker's mark BJCO in a diamond.
Its neoclassical design included a
relief-decorated maiden, leaf-engraved borders and a handle formed
by a swan holding the lip by its beak. Brisk bidding saw it more
than double hopes at £1250.
Also a the sale was a commercial example
of early 20th century German silversmithing, an electroplated
inkstand modelled as a 14in (36cm) bi-plane with mounted machine
gun and moving propeller.
Included in the 'cockpit' are two
inkwells, while the fuselage provides a stamp compartment and pen
rack. The tip of the wing is marked for Franz Reichenberg, the
Berlin firm which specialised in these Great War era novelties.
Always popular across a number of
different collecting fields, it took £1600 at Lockdales.
The buyer's premium was 15%
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