A SILVER-GILT MOUNTED RUBY GLASS CUP AND COVER OF ROYAL INTEREST

GERMAN OR ENGLISH, CIRCA 1837

Details

A SILVER-GILT MOUNTED RUBY GLASS CUP AND COVER OF ROYAL INTEREST
GERMAN OR ENGLISH, CIRCA 1837
Vase form, on pedestal foot overlaid with silver-gilt cagework with English rose, Scottish thistle, and Irish shamrock, the body overlaid with grapevine surrounding monogram EAR beneath a German Royal crown, the silver-gilt domed cover overlaid with conforming grapevine and surmounted by Hanoverian horse finial, apparently unmarked
14¾ in. (37.5 cm.) high

Provenance

Christie's, Geneva, 16 November 1993, lot 136

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Lot Essay

The crowned monogram EAR is that of Ernest Augustus, 4th son of George III of England, who became King of Hanover in 1837. The iconography on this cup -- the English rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock and the leaping horse of Hanover -- symbolize Ernest Augustus's dual royal titles, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover. When Victoria succeeded William IV as British monarch, under Salic law she could not inherit the Kingdom of Hanover, so the title descended to the Royal Duke instead. The very fine ruby glass appears to be Bohemian or Silesian, suggesting that the cup was made in Hanover as a gift to the new king in 1837.

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