A pair of covered tureens with lion-head handles and square bases guided at €20,000-30,000 at Neumeister.
They are part of the legacy of Ferdinand Eugen, Duke of Württemberg, who died in 2020. The works of art originally belonged to the inventory of the aristocratic family’s castle Schloss Carlsruhe in what was then Silesia and is now Polish.
Several years before the castle was destroyed by the Red Army in 1945, its contents had been crated and transferred to another family castle in south-west Germany. They later passed into the hands of Duke Ferdinand Eugen and have now been consigned by his descendants.
The treasure trove gives an insight into aristocratic life in the 18th and 19th centuries and includes not only paintings, porcelain from the major German manufactures, glass and silver, but walking sticks, top hats, weapons and medals. The auction house can expect considerable interest for pieces of tableware, created by silversmiths in Breslau, many with coats-of arms and monograms. They document the dining culture of the time.
Among the highlights are no less than 84 plates by Christian Beyl from the late 1730s and this pair of covered tureens with lion-head handles and square bases. They weigh over 24lbs (11.5kg) and were made by Johann Christian Jancke the younger between 1796 and 1804 and are guided at €20,000-30,000.
