FEATURES ARCHIVE

The Stuart Collection, formed by a gentleman collector from Louisiana, offers a range of spectacular Regency and George IV period pieces produced by the legendary luxury-goods retailers, Phillip Rundell and John Bridge.  Their partnership, Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, was responsible for establishing an imperial style in English silver, much of it covered in gilding to emphasize its majesty and Roman classical roots. 

George IV, as Prince Regent and later as King, was the greatest patron of Rundell’s, commissioning massive works for use at his residences at Carlton House and Brighton Pavilion, and of presentations and celebrations during the Napoleonic Wars. Known as “the engine of fashion,” the Prince Regent was followed in matters of taste by the entire aristocracy, including William Beckford, the Duke of Wellington, and Thomas Hope—all clients of Rundell’s.

While Rundell and Bridge employed artists and sculptors like John Flaxman and William Theed to draw designs and make models, it was the role of the silversmith to translate these concepts into actual works in silver.  Paul Storr is the best known of the silversmiths who ran Rundell’s huge and technologically advanced workshops. From 1807 to 1819, Storr orchestrated the legions of craftsmen who created these works: casters, modelers, die-cutters, chasers, engravers, and gilders.

The Stuart Collection contains no fewer than nineteen works marked by Paul Storr, and sixteen that may be associated with Rundell’s workshops. A handful of pieces from the Rundell’s group were made by Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith, fine makers who preceded Paul Storr in the workshops. The Stuart Collection also has three pieces by Edward Farrell—including and exceptionally rare chess set—which represents the taste of George IV’s brother, the Duke of York, Farrell’s greatest patron.

See the Collection