Silver Shines Brightly at Auction...
6th July 2022
Silver and Vertu was well received on the first day of our Summer Fine Art sale.
Substantial showpieces performed well: a late 19th Century German part tea service by Julius Herz of Wiesbaden, c.1890, made £1750; and a mighty 197oz George IV tea urn or samovar, 1824, was bid to £5375. Two private collections proved popular and made £15,760 (45 lots) and £28,275 (36 lots).
Good quality early spoons were in steady demand and a host of good prices was achieved for rare examples: a Charles I spoon by William Dodson of Lewes, c.1630, made £1875. A trio comprising an Elizabeth I/James I sejant spoon (with a lion motif seated upright), c.1600, a James I slip top spoon by John Feake, 1623, and a Charles II Puritan spoon by Stephen Venables, 1688 made a total of £4625. Four other spoons from 1572-1668 in date realised a total of £5060.
Two small historical pieces also exceeded expectations: a Charles II porringer, 1677, from Chambers Court in Gloucestershire, realised £2750; and a rare Commonwealth beaker by William Harrison, 1651, made £6875. But big prices were also paid for small treasures: A 1.5” 18ct gold Victorian vinaigrette with floral scrolls on the grille, 1852, made £2125 and a George III "Trafalgar" vinaigrette, rectangular with a portrait of Admiral Nelson and "ENGLAND EXPECTS EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY" on the cover, the grille with H.M.S Victory in low relief and "TRAFALGAR OCR. 21.1805", just 1.2” long, made £3500. Finally, there was a great surprise for a lucky vendor in Wales: a small late 19th century Russian green-glazed pottery stand or holder of globular form, with a reeded circular base and four supports each in the form of a daisy flower, was made by the notable Karl Faberge in Moscow, c.1887-1900. This soared above its £600-800 estimate to make £10,625.
