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A pair of Berlin Royal gold-ground wine-coolers from the Louise of Prussia marriage service

CIRCA 1825, UNDERGLAZE BLUE SCEPTRE MARKS AND INCISED /// MARKS, THE FIRST WITH PAINTER'S PALE-BLUE ARROW AND CIRCLE MARK, THE SECOND WITH PAINTER'S IRON-RED CIRCLE AND CROSS MARK

Details

A pair of Berlin Royal gold-ground wine-coolers from the Louise of Prussia marriage service
Circa 1825, underglaze blue sceptre marks and incised /// marks, the first with painter's pale-blue arrow and circle mark, the second with painter's iron-red circle and cross mark
Of cylindrical form, the slightly waisted feet with ciselé down-turned stiff-leaf ornament, the sides with large circular medallions painted with views of Berlin named at the base of each cartouche for Charlottenburg., Das Schauspielhaus in Charlottenburg., Ansicht von Berlin. and Das Krieges Denkmahl bei Berlin, each pail painted with a continuous garland of flowers and foliage suspended from each medallion and hanging below matt gilt lion's masks with crowns of lauerls held in their jaws, below bands of ciselé overlapping lozenge ornament and ropetwist ornament rims, the matt-gilt bands to the interior of the rims with bright-gilt mandering foliage (some minute wear to gilding)
7 7/8 in. (20 cm.) high

Provenance

Given by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia to his daughter on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Friedrich of the Netherlands, and thence by descent to the Princess of Wied, sold by her executors, Sotheby's London, 1967
With J. Rochelle Thomas, Inc.

Literature

The cooler on page 89 is illustrated by John Fleming and Hugh Honour, Dictionary of Decorative Arts (1989), p. 94.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

These coolers are of the same form used for the service given by King Frederick William III of Prussia to Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, in thanks and recognition of his decisive role in the defeat of Napoleon and liberation of Prussia. Many of the pieces from the service were based on antique forms while others were developed to evoke the antique. For a full discussion of this service, see Winfried Baer and Ilse Baer, 'The Prussian Service, The Duke of Wellington's Berlin Dinner Service 1817-1819' Exhibition Catalogue (1988) where the coolers are illustrated on pp. 79-92. It is interesting to note that the service produced for Louise's husband (see lots 125-127) includes a form of fruit tazza also used in the Wellington service.

Louise, Princess of Prussia (1808-1870) married Frederick, Prince of the Netherlands in 1825. Frederick (1797-1881) was the younger son of William I, King of the Netherlands, and their daughter Louise married King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway, their other daughter Mary married William, Prince zu Wied.

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