Lot Description
A CARVED IVORY RELIEF ON GLASS
BY STEPHANY AND DRESCH, LATE 18TH CENTURY
The oval panel depicting a pastral scene with cattle, a shepherd, houses and a tree, signed 'Stephany and Dresch', in a giltwood frame
The ivory -- 4¾ in. (12 cm.) wide; 3 7/8 in. (9.9 cm.) high
Special Notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
This lot will be removed to an off-site warehouse at the close of business on the day of sale - 2 weeks free storage
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Lot Notes
The present lot is an example of the delicate, intricate 'micro carving' that was popular within the Kunstkammer of Europe's nobility in the 18th and 19th centuries. The carvings are executed with such precision that, with pieces of the highest quality, the distance between the leaves of a tree might be no more than a fraction of a millimeter. G. Stephany and J. Dresch worked in London and Bath in the late 18th century, selling their ivories to members of fashionable English society. They exhibited a number of times at the Royal Academy, and were granted the title 'Sculptors in Miniature on Ivory to their Majesties' by George III. The present relief includes a rotting oak tree, a favourite motif of Stephnay and Dresch.
