A PAIR OF MID-VICTORIAN SHELLWORK FLOWER DISPLAYS
VAT rate of 17.5% is payable on hammer price and b… Read more
A PAIR OF MID-VICTORIAN SHELLWORK FLOWER DISPLAYS

Details
A PAIR OF MID-VICTORIAN SHELLWORK FLOWER DISPLAYS
Each depicting a flower-strewn cornucopia, issuing an arrangement of flowers, on an oval red velvet-lined giltwood base with glazed domed cover, the giltwood stand previously with bun feet
20 in. (51 cm.) high, excluding case; 24 in. (61 cm.) high, overall. (2)
Special notice
VAT rate of 17.5% is payable on hammer price and buyer's premium when purchased by non-EU purchasers.

Lot Essay

Garlanded cornucopiae, emblematic of Summer and the harvest deity Ceres, provide 'horns of abundance' for these everlasting floral bouquets. Apart from encouraging an interest in shells, an impetus for the manufacture of such flower vases was provided in the middle of the 19th Century by publications such as G.B. Sowerby's Conchologia Iconica, 1843-1878 (see J. Toller, The Regency and Victorian Crafts, London, 1969).

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