Quality Silver - Sensible
Prices
We are
offering for sale this majestic parcel gilt silver centrepiece in the
'Graeco-Pompeian' style which just oozes high quality.
The
centrepiece was originally designed for Elkington & Co. by Albert
Willms for the International Exhibition of 1862 (see below for more
information). Elkington & Company were the premier makers of large
centrepieces during Queen Victoria's reign. Please note that this is a fully
hallmarked silver centrepiece - the vast majority of centrepieces to be
found are in silver plate.
The main
centrepiece is decorated with anthemion engraving to the round foot and rises
up on three sinuous supports to the vase-shaped dish holder at the top. It
stands on three lion's paw feet and has anthemion pendants hanging from the
upper section. The whole is very tastefully parcel gilt with the highlights
showing up in gold.
The round
glass dish appears to be original and sits securely to the dish ring at the
top. This clear dish has a serrated rim above a central band of cut diamonds
with ruby red hexagonal centres.
The
separate mirror plateau at the base is a bonus, adding to the
height and increasing the statement made by this
beautiful centrepiece. The plateau was added 10 years after the
original stand and is a trefoil shape with parcel-gilt decoration to
match. It has a mahogany insert with three hallmarked silver feet and as
such is not included in the weighable silver (it weighs 2720 grams
gross). There are a couple of very small imperfections to the silvering of
the glass (see close-up photo), but they have no effect on the
overall appeal of this magnificent centrepiece.
Centrepieces
such as this are ideal for standing on a dining room table and the glass dish
filled with fruit. The very top section has a circular hole just under the top
to allow a cable to run through the thread in the middle of the dish ring and
so if preferred one could use it as a lamp standard instead. The
centrepiece and plateau can also be used independently of each other.
The main
centrepiece is fully hallmarked for Birmingham 1865 to one of the feet and
appropriately part marked on the struts and dish ring. There is a registration
design kite to the underside showing that the design was patented on the 3rd
May 1862. The plateau is also fully hallmarked for Birmingham 1875 by Frederick
Elkington.
Following
an already illustrious career working with some of the most highly regarded
firms of the day, Albert Willms was hired by Elkington & Co. to create a
service for the Duke of Brabant and then from 1857 to direct the
company's designs. The designer had already worked with Jean-Valentin Morel on
pieces for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and with Chrisofle and Paillard for the
Paris Exposition of 1855; and so would have been an obvious choice for
Elkington when designing for the Exhibition of 1862. He won a medal at the
International Exhibition for his works, and there is no doubt that this
creation for Elkington; which was very highly praised at the time, was a
significant contributor to the designer's success of that year.
A table garniture in electroplate from the full
Graeco-Pompeian service was sold at Sotheby's, London, The Great
Exhibitions Sale, 31 October 2006, lot 537 for £48,000.
The International
Exhibition or Great London Exposition was a World fair held in South
Kensington, London from May 1st to November 1st 1862. It featured 28,000
exhibitors from 36 different countries and attracted over 6 million visitors.
An
important and fabulous piece in superb condition.
Please
view our specialist site at antiquesilverspoons for a further large
selection of fine quality Victorian, Georgian and earlier silver.
MEASUREMENTS: 50cm overall height; 28cm diam.
of glass bowl; 32.5cm max. width of plateau; 2290 grams (73.6 tr.oz.) weighable
silver; 6100 grams overall weight.
MARKS: Full set of English hallmarks
(guaranteeing Sterling 925 standard silver) for Birmingham 1865 (centrepiece) &
1875 (mirror plateau) by Elkington & Company.
CONDITION: Excellent. There are a couple of
very small imperfections to the silvering of the glass (see close-up photo).
Please do
not hesitate to contact me with any further questions. Good luck, Gary.
We offer a full money back guarantee, if you are not happy with the
item, within fourteen days of receipt.