CIRCA 1750, PROBABLY AUGSBURG

Details

A FINE GERMAN GOLD-MOUNTED MOTHER-OF-PEARL NECESSAIRE**
Circa 1750, probably Augsburg
Rectangular with ogee-fluted corners, the cover applied with chased and engraved gold scene of a man and woman courting within rococo foliage and scrolls, the sides applied with gold scrolls and rocaille, the mother-of-pearl also engraved with rocaille, the interior fitted with a removable silk-lined mother-of-pearl compartment containing mother-of-pearl tatting shuttle, silk winder, lucet, and shuttle, an ivory tablet, gold-mounted steel scissors, a pencil, a mother-of-pearl knife and a gold knife, a gold needle case with one gold needle, a gold stiletto and a bodkin, the interior of cover fitted with a gold-mounted mirror, apparently unmarked
4¾in. (121mm.) long

Provenance

A La Vieille Russie, 1970

Literature

The Art of the Goldsmith & The Jeweler, A La Vieille Russie, 1968, illus. p. 65, cat. no. 143
S. Grandjean et al., The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, 1975, p. 96

Exhibited

"The Art of the Goldsmith & the Jeweler," A La Vieille Russie, New York, 1968, no. 143

Special notice

Notice Regarding the Sale of Ivory and Tortoiseshell Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing ivory or tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Lot Essay

A number of mother-of-pearl sewing necessaires are known featuring Chinoiserie decoration or contemporary figures in elaborate rococo settings. Several examples are illustrated in S. Grandjean et al., The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, 1975, no. 45-47, including one fitted with a mirror inside the cover. A necessaire with hunting scenes and fitted with writing implements, sold in these Rooms, October 19, 2001, lot 60. Another example, featuring figures in landscape, from the Dr. Anton C. R. Dreesmann Collection is illustrated in Christie's, London, April 11, 2002, lot 931.

A note accompanying this lot states the necessaire is from the Gutmann Collection and is listed in the 1912 Otto van Falke catalogue.

More from Important Silver, Objects of Vertu and Russian Works of Art

View All