AUCTION FINDS OF THE WEEK- OCTOBER 14TH: ALL THAT GLITTERS...
by Kelly Keating on 10/18/13
All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it's silver! All of the auction finds this week are glorious pieces of silver to be auctioned off at the sale "Important Silver" at Christie's New York on October 23, 2013. I am a great silver collector of more modest means and pieces than those items to be described here. But, don't be discouraged there are great pieces of silver at a variety of price points and sold in a variety of venues. I mainly collect American Aesthetic silverplate and sterling flatware, English 19th century plate, English Edwardian sterling and a few pieces of Georgian silver. And if money were no object I would be happy to have any of the pieces below in my own collection.
This week's first silver find is not only beautiful, but is also quite practical. It would look impressive on one's side board and would be an elegant way to dispense drinks to your guests. Lot 20 is a George III silver decanter stand bearing the mark of the famous maker Paul Storr with the year 1800. The stand is in a cruciform shape with canted corners and fluted supports. It has a reeded frame and ring handle. Four cut-glass decanters with stoppers are fitted into the stand; the bottles are engraved H, S, R and B perhaps for different types of liquor. Particularly glamourous and sophisticated are the 4 rings fitted into the corners of the cruciform stand to hold the decanter stoppers when one is pouring libations for your guest. This gorgeous piece is being offered with a pre-sale estimate of $4,000-6,000. The piece is hallmarked on the side and base. A wonderful thing about English silver is its hallmarking system which contains a maker's mark, a sterling guaranttee mark, the city mark in which the piece was assayed in, and the date of assay. A good site online to check your hallmarks is www.925-1000.com.
The next shiny discovery this week is lot 3 a pair of Victorian silver compotes with a well-deserved pre-sale estimate of $20,000-30,000. Each compote stands 10" tall on a circular foot, with putti and dolphins on a matted ground. The 2 dolphins' entwined tails support a realistically rendered shell above with silver-gilt interior. The pieces are the work of Francis Boone Thomas and are dated London 1876. What a truly gorgeous pair and how splendid they would look on a table filled with flowers or fruit.
I have a smaller pair of similar English compotes in plate not sterling about 5" in height with dolphins supporting a shell with their tails. They were perhaps sweetmeat dishes. Made around 1860-1865 mine are roughly the same date as the Christies pair. My modest dishes demonstrate how there are different levels of collecting and how even at the time of their making certain motifs and styles were fashionable and that not everyone could afford the grand pieces of Francis Boone Thomas.
My small silverplate dolphin and shell compotes filled with macaroons.
The third discovery this week is a wonderful pair of continental table pheasants, circa 1900, lot 162 has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-5,000. What a grand decoration for a dining table evoking royal hunts and wonderful Dutch still-lifes rendered with heaps of game in a landscape or on a table. This pair has hinged wings and detachable heads and were often used to hold pepper or another spice. The pheasants are an impressive size being almost 24" in length.
Like the Victorian shell compotes, I have the poor relations of these grand birds. My pair of pheasants are much smaller in scale, but probably also date to the 1900-1930 period and are either German or Italian. For their level of sophistication they have nice detailing and I love to use them on my pheasant tablecloth as ornaments.
My modest birds...
If we are going to decorate our table with some fabulous silver birds, we will need a grand centerpiece with which to anchor the table. Standing at an impressive 21" high, lot 97 is an impressive George III silver epergne made by Thomas Pitts in London in 1760 with a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-50,000. The epergne is in the chinoiserie taste in the form of a pagoda and stands on four scroll feet. The openwork apron is decorated with dragons and foliage. The four scroll branches support octafoil beaded dishes. The oval central pierced basket surmounts a fluted base with figural finials. The epergne is topped off with a pierced canopy with bells and chinoiserie figural finial. A truly grand piece in need of a truly grand setting. Again one could find more modest 19th century epergnes in silverplate or simple trumpet shaped ones. They are quite lovely for the display of flowers and fruits.
The next find this week is also a pair of silver birds, but with a decidely more whimsical and lighthearted nature. Lot 169 are a pair of Italian silver penguin-form magnum wine coolers by Mario Buccellati Sr, Milan 1934-44 with a pre-sale estimate of $70,000-100,000. The pair is realistically formed as male and female. The textures created in the alloy are quite amazing from the scaliness of their feathers to the smoothness of their beaks. The hinged heads open to reveal a bottle compartment. These penguins with their fat little tummies and funny expressions are quite appealing. They would make a wonderful centerpiece pair as well maybe on some sort of large ice sculpture!
This week's final discovery is a pair of Danish silver 2-light candelabra by renowned maker Georg Jensen, 1925-32, lot 188 has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-15,000. Standing at 8.25" tall each candalabra stands on a stepped circular base then rises to an openwork stem of leaves and berries and terminates in two leaf-capped reeded branches and urn-form sockets. The central standard is formed as spiraling berries. A wonderfully organic pair of sticks that still have an Art Deco feel to them and thereby they could work in a variety of setting from modern to traditional.
I hope something from this week's finds inspired you and your living space. And don't be afraid of silver! Or think that it requires too much care to maintain. I polish my silver about 3 times a year. The rest of the time it is displayed in glass cabinets that help retard tarnishing or it is in silver keeper bags that also prevent tarnishing. Between those times of polishing simple wash your silver with a mild soap and soft sponge and it will look beautiful year round. And never put your silver dishwasher.
And there is silver at many different prices points. Obviously, the pieces here are at the top end of the silver market, but one can find lovely quality pieces in both sterling and plate at many different price points.
If you are looking for a specific piece of silver, I can find it for you. Please contact me at [email protected].
Results for this week's finds will be posted on my Facebook page a few days after the sale.
Until next week,
Kelly T Keating
www.theantiqueflaneur.com
