.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
A DIPLOMATIC GIFT?
Amongst the larger carved and polished examples of Swedish granitell exported out of Sweden, this magnificent urn is a souvenir from a period of excessive diplomatic largesse. As Sir Thomas Cartwright took up his post as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Royal Court at Stockholm in 1838, the balance of power in Europe was fragile. Karl XIV - a former general of Napoleon and Maréchal of France who had changed his name from Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte on his coronation in 1818 - no doubt knew that Cartwright was a trusted diplomat and confidant of Britain's brilliant and all powerful- foreign minister, Lord Palmerston. The Swedish King was also all too aware of the fact that Britain's support alone stood between Sweden's independence and Russian domination of his realm. It was therefore equally important for the Swedish King to forge a trusting relationship with the British Ambassador as it was for Cartwright to form a good impression at Court - and this no doubt explains the existence of two monumental granite vases from Sweden at Aynhoe. The first is the urn offered here, the second a 7 foot high Swedish porphyry tazza that is now in a Private Collection, but which was illustrated in situ in the West Garden at Aynhoe in a 19th Century watercolour.
This urn was almost certainly mined and worked in Alvdalen, Sweden - the workshops that King Carl XIV Johann had decided to purchase with great foresight in 1818. At a time of enormous political upheaval and social unrest throughout Europe, rulers often needed to make grand gestures and diplomatic gifts in order to consolidate alliances and strengthen their influence. What could be more impressive or patriotic than grand neo-classical objects fashioned from the one of the hardest materials known to man, disseminated throughout all the Courts of Europe. Moreover, by retaining exclusive rights to the Alvdalen workshop's production, Karl XIV Johann could monopolise the production of all large-scale works, while distributing smaller wares throughout Europe for sale, thus growing the reputation of the manufactory whilst generating revenue to help subsidise the huge cost of the more extravagant commissions. In the diplomatic hierarchy Great Britain stood at the summit and it was essential that any Royal or diplomatic gifts reflected this pecking order. Emissaries from less influential nations would by practice receive gifts that corresponded to their status. Thus in bestowing both the granite urn and aforementioned porphyry tazza, Karl XIV Johan was publicly recognizing Britain's stature and importance - as well as privately forging a bond with the new representative of his most powerful ally. It seems to have worked - for not only is it recorded that the King and Sir Thomas were on good terms from the outset, but Cartwright also enjoyed a close friendship with his contemporary, the Crown Prince Oscar, later King Oscar I.
Thomas Cartwright was born on 18 January 1795, the eldest son of William Ralph Cartwright (1771-1847) and Emma Maude, daughter of Viscount Hawarden. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, he enjoyed a successful diplomatic career as secretary of the legation at Munich (1821-28) and The Hague (1828-30) before being appointed Minister-Plenipotentiary in Frankfurt (1830-38) and ultimately Sweden. In spite of his career success and knighthood in 1834, he was not a wealthy man - and indeed in 1845 Sir Thomas and his family were forced to return to England due to a lack of funds to continue court Life in Stockholm. Moreover, his father's extravagances, not least of which were the alterations at Aynhoe carried out by Sir John Soane - ultimately caught up with him as heir and he was not, therefore, in a position to conceive of extravagant purchases of works of art. The receipt of such generous diplomatic gifts in recognition of his 12-year posting in Sweden must have made a dramatic impact on Cartwright.
RELATED VASES
Karl XIV Johan appears to have reserved one of the largest recorded monumental urns of this pale red 'granitell' for himself at the Pavilion at Rosendal in Djurgrden, Stockholm. Weighing 9.5 tons and measuring 3.5 metres diameter, it's shape derives from antique prototypes excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum (illustrated on the back cover of "Porfyr"; Exhibition Catalogue, Bukowski's, Stockholm, 15 December 1985 - 2 February 1986, and in Hakan Groth, Neoclassicism in the North, London, 1994, p. 190 fig. 177). However, the vast majority of these large-scale urns and vases were intended for diplomatic gifts, the most ambitious of which, standing at 4 metres, was the porphyry and granitell urn presented to the Russian Tsar, which was installed at Peterhof Palace. Other large objects were delivered as Royal gifts of honour to the French King Louis Philippe, King Maximilian of Bavaria and Queen Victoria.
Perhaps the closest parallels to the Aynhoe vase are two which are thought to have been presented by the King to his former comrades under Napoleon - Maréchal Gérard and either Marcéhal Ney or Maréchal Murat. Passing by direct descent, the Maréchal Gérard vase was offered at Christie's Monaco, 2 July 1993, lot 235, whilst the Ney or Murat vase, which passed by descent to Princesse Cecile Murat's, was sold at Christie's New York, 3 April 2002, lot 456.
ALVDALEN
Porphyry was first discovered in Sweden at Alvadalen in 1731 but was not commercially exploited until after 1788 by Eric Hagstrom under the direction of Nile Adam Bielke. The works were purchased by Bernadotte in 1818 and stayed in the Royal ownership until 1856. Bernadotte used the production of primarily Empire objects in porphyry and related granite to disseminate the Empire style that he had brought from France. Production largely ceased following a disastrous fire in 1867.
PLEASE NOTE THIS LOT IS NOT COVERED BY CADOGAN TATE'S STANDARD CHARGES, AS DETAILED ON PAGE 3, AND IS SUBJECT TO AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSFER FEE. PLEASE CONTACT CADOGAN TATE FOR A QUOTE.
Amongst the larger carved and polished examples of Swedish granitell exported out of Sweden, this magnificent urn is a souvenir from a period of excessive diplomatic largesse. As Sir Thomas Cartwright took up his post as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Royal Court at Stockholm in 1838, the balance of power in Europe was fragile. Karl XIV - a former general of Napoleon and Maréchal of France who had changed his name from Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte on his coronation in 1818 - no doubt knew that Cartwright was a trusted diplomat and confidant of Britain's brilliant and all powerful- foreign minister, Lord Palmerston. The Swedish King was also all too aware of the fact that Britain's support alone stood between Sweden's independence and Russian domination of his realm. It was therefore equally important for the Swedish King to forge a trusting relationship with the British Ambassador as it was for Cartwright to form a good impression at Court - and this no doubt explains the existence of two monumental granite vases from Sweden at Aynhoe. The first is the urn offered here, the second a 7 foot high Swedish porphyry tazza that is now in a Private Collection, but which was illustrated in situ in the West Garden at Aynhoe in a 19th Century watercolour.
This urn was almost certainly mined and worked in Alvdalen, Sweden - the workshops that King Carl XIV Johann had decided to purchase with great foresight in 1818. At a time of enormous political upheaval and social unrest throughout Europe, rulers often needed to make grand gestures and diplomatic gifts in order to consolidate alliances and strengthen their influence. What could be more impressive or patriotic than grand neo-classical objects fashioned from the one of the hardest materials known to man, disseminated throughout all the Courts of Europe. Moreover, by retaining exclusive rights to the Alvdalen workshop's production, Karl XIV Johann could monopolise the production of all large-scale works, while distributing smaller wares throughout Europe for sale, thus growing the reputation of the manufactory whilst generating revenue to help subsidise the huge cost of the more extravagant commissions. In the diplomatic hierarchy Great Britain stood at the summit and it was essential that any Royal or diplomatic gifts reflected this pecking order. Emissaries from less influential nations would by practice receive gifts that corresponded to their status. Thus in bestowing both the granite urn and aforementioned porphyry tazza, Karl XIV Johan was publicly recognizing Britain's stature and importance - as well as privately forging a bond with the new representative of his most powerful ally. It seems to have worked - for not only is it recorded that the King and Sir Thomas were on good terms from the outset, but Cartwright also enjoyed a close friendship with his contemporary, the Crown Prince Oscar, later King Oscar I.
Thomas Cartwright was born on 18 January 1795, the eldest son of William Ralph Cartwright (1771-1847) and Emma Maude, daughter of Viscount Hawarden. Educated at Christ Church, Oxford, he enjoyed a successful diplomatic career as secretary of the legation at Munich (1821-28) and The Hague (1828-30) before being appointed Minister-Plenipotentiary in Frankfurt (1830-38) and ultimately Sweden. In spite of his career success and knighthood in 1834, he was not a wealthy man - and indeed in 1845 Sir Thomas and his family were forced to return to England due to a lack of funds to continue court Life in Stockholm. Moreover, his father's extravagances, not least of which were the alterations at Aynhoe carried out by Sir John Soane - ultimately caught up with him as heir and he was not, therefore, in a position to conceive of extravagant purchases of works of art. The receipt of such generous diplomatic gifts in recognition of his 12-year posting in Sweden must have made a dramatic impact on Cartwright.
RELATED VASES
Karl XIV Johan appears to have reserved one of the largest recorded monumental urns of this pale red 'granitell' for himself at the Pavilion at Rosendal in Djurgrden, Stockholm. Weighing 9.5 tons and measuring 3.5 metres diameter, it's shape derives from antique prototypes excavated at Pompeii and Herculaneum (illustrated on the back cover of "Porfyr"; Exhibition Catalogue, Bukowski's, Stockholm, 15 December 1985 - 2 February 1986, and in Hakan Groth, Neoclassicism in the North, London, 1994, p. 190 fig. 177). However, the vast majority of these large-scale urns and vases were intended for diplomatic gifts, the most ambitious of which, standing at 4 metres, was the porphyry and granitell urn presented to the Russian Tsar, which was installed at Peterhof Palace. Other large objects were delivered as Royal gifts of honour to the French King Louis Philippe, King Maximilian of Bavaria and Queen Victoria.
Perhaps the closest parallels to the Aynhoe vase are two which are thought to have been presented by the King to his former comrades under Napoleon - Maréchal Gérard and either Marcéhal Ney or Maréchal Murat. Passing by direct descent, the Maréchal Gérard vase was offered at Christie's Monaco, 2 July 1993, lot 235, whilst the Ney or Murat vase, which passed by descent to Princesse Cecile Murat's, was sold at Christie's New York, 3 April 2002, lot 456.
ALVDALEN
Porphyry was first discovered in Sweden at Alvadalen in 1731 but was not commercially exploited until after 1788 by Eric Hagstrom under the direction of Nile Adam Bielke. The works were purchased by Bernadotte in 1818 and stayed in the Royal ownership until 1856. Bernadotte used the production of primarily Empire objects in porphyry and related granite to disseminate the Empire style that he had brought from France. Production largely ceased following a disastrous fire in 1867.
PLEASE NOTE THIS LOT IS NOT COVERED BY CADOGAN TATE'S STANDARD CHARGES, AS DETAILED ON PAGE 3, AND IS SUBJECT TO AN INDIVIDUAL TRANSFER FEE. PLEASE CONTACT CADOGAN TATE FOR A QUOTE.