Details
No Description
Provenance
Won by Joseph Weld's "Lulworth" at Cowes, 1828, and thence by descent.
The most presitigious of the three racing cups presented at Cowes, this presentation tankard, known as the "King's Cup" was won by Joseph Weld's cutter "Lulworth", narrowly beating Mr. Assheton-Smith's "Menai", which lost its mainsail. In an exciting finish observed by an enormous throng of spectators the result hung in the balance that a dead heat was for many minutes expected. "As they approached seconds seemed hours, and doubt eternal, touching each other, they came on to the very goal, when, like a practised racer, "Lulworth" sprang forward and won by a second". Only the second year it has been presented, the Cup had been solicited from King George IV who directed "that a Cup of value of 100 guineas to be sailed for by the yachts of the Royal Club annually on his birthday, the 12th August".
Similar tankards were presented annually between 1837 and 1839, a similar example being the 1831 tankard, also won by Joseph Weld, sold Christie's 24th October 1990, Lot 118.
The design of the plaque on the tankard is variously attributed to John Flaxman, his assistant Edward Hodges Baily or Thomas Stothard. The putti border is also found on four wine coolers by John Bridge, 1827-1828, and a pair of stands for ewers, by Philip Rundell, 1822-1823, for which a drawing by Flaxman is in the British Museum.
The most presitigious of the three racing cups presented at Cowes, this presentation tankard, known as the "King's Cup" was won by Joseph Weld's cutter "Lulworth", narrowly beating Mr. Assheton-Smith's "Menai", which lost its mainsail. In an exciting finish observed by an enormous throng of spectators the result hung in the balance that a dead heat was for many minutes expected. "As they approached seconds seemed hours, and doubt eternal, touching each other, they came on to the very goal, when, like a practised racer, "Lulworth" sprang forward and won by a second". Only the second year it has been presented, the Cup had been solicited from King George IV who directed "that a Cup of value of 100 guineas to be sailed for by the yachts of the Royal Club annually on his birthday, the 12th August".
Similar tankards were presented annually between 1837 and 1839, a similar example being the 1831 tankard, also won by Joseph Weld, sold Christie's 24th October 1990, Lot 118.
The design of the plaque on the tankard is variously attributed to John Flaxman, his assistant Edward Hodges Baily or Thomas Stothard. The putti border is also found on four wine coolers by John Bridge, 1827-1828, and a pair of stands for ewers, by Philip Rundell, 1822-1823, for which a drawing by Flaxman is in the British Museum.
Literature
Bolton and Guest, Memorials of the Royal Yacht Squadron, 1902