LONDON, 1589, MAKER'S MARK INDISTINCT

Details

An Elizabeth I silver-gilt cup and cover
London, 1589, maker's mark indistinct
Of baluster form, on circular pedestal foot, with reeded and egg-and-dart borders, chased with fruiting garlands, the stem with compressed ball and floral knops, the bowl with foliate scrolls, the detachable domed cover with rope-twist border, chased with similar garlands and strapwork cartouches, with floral knop and baluster finial, marked on body and cover
11 5/8in. (29.5cm.) high
16oz. (498gr.)

Provenance

Anonymous sale [Colonel Pocklington]; Christie's London, 17 December 1900, lot 137 (£173 to SJP)
John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913)
John Pierpont Morgan (+); Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 30-31 October 1947, lot 464

Literature

E.A. Jones, Illustrated Catalogue of the Collection of Old Plate of J. Pierpont Morgan, Esq., 1908, pl.VIII

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

A similar cup of 1585 is in the collection of the Kremlin, Moscow and is illustrated in C. Oman, The English Silver in the Kremlin 1557-1663, London, 1961, p.44. He describes the cup as 'the most beautiful in the collection and serves to emphasize that although English goldsmiths were perhaps too prone to turn out endless variations of the design of the decade, they were capable of producing highly individual pieces in the finest workmanship throughout.'

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