.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
CAPTAIN WILLIAM COWPER AND THE BOMBAY DOCKS
William Cowper was the son of William and Mary Cowper of London. He was born in 1774, possibly in Seigford in Staffordshire. By 1782 the family were in London. William's younger brother Thomas Alexander was christened in Covent Garden in 1782. The Bombay Gazeteer lists William as entering the service of the East India Company as an ensign in 1793. He was an engineer and rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1797 and captain in 1805. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1819. He initially assisted in the surveying the Malabar coast and the interior. In 1804 he entered the service of Lieutenant General Sir Richard Jones and surveyed the route from Baroda to Bhurtpoor. Due to ill health Cowper had to turn down an appointment commanding the Pioneer Corps but was able to take charge of the construction of the new docks in Bombay in 1806. He was later to serve in the Deccan travelling over 300 miles often marching up to twenty-six miles a day.
This Warwick vase commemorates his role in the construction of the Upper and Lower Duncan Docks in Bombay. The docks were named after the then governor of Bombay Jonathan Duncan (d.1811). The contract had initially been awarded to a Captain Crozier but problems with water incursion and a heavy increase in costs led to the Committee in charge appointing Cowper to assess the work and to make recommendations. He reported that the work completed was not of sufficient strength and would need to be removed (R. A. Wadia, The Bombay Dockyard and the Wadia Master Builders, Bombay, 1957, pp. 52-57). In September 1806 Cowper was given control of the project. By November 1807 the Upper or Building section of the dock was sufficiently finished to allow work on the keel of HMS Minden to commence. By 1810 the Lower Dock had also been completed. The total cost was 561,728 Rupees and Cowper was awarded 30,000 Rupees in recognition of the his work. This was in addition to the magnificent silver Warwick Vase, the gift of six firms of Bombay merchants.
Cowper retired in 1819 and at the age of forty five married Lydia, the daughter of Dr. Richard Reed. They married at the fashionable St. George's Church, Hanover Square. They had five children, William, Lydia, Charlotte and two christened Alexander. At least two, Lydia and the first Alexander died very young. The latter Alexander was probably born posthumously as he was christened on 11 February 1826, almost ten months after his father's death. William Cowper died at his London house 5 Montague Place in 1825. His will, which he had made on his marriage in 1819, left everything to his wife apart from making provision for his mother and his brother's natural children.
RUNDELL, BRIDGE AND RUNDELL
While today names like Paul Storr and John Bridge are celebrated for their excellence of design and skill in craftsmanship, in first years of the 19th century it would have been the retailers Rundell Bridge and Rundell whose name represented the pinnacle of The Business of Luxury,as they are described in Royal Goldsmiths: The Art of Rundell & Bridge 1797-1843, London, 2005.
The firm, located at 32 Ludgate Hill, was born when Philip Rundell (1746-1827) bought the business of William Pickett, in 1786. He was joined in running the business by John Bridge. The pair made a perfect team with Rundell running the shop while Bridge dealt with the clients. In 1805, Rundell took his nephew, Edmund Waller Rundell into partnership, whereupon the business was restyled Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
By this time they were one of the main manufacturers of quality silver plate, jewels and gold boxes. The firm grew rapidly, so much so that by the 1820's, it was a vast enterprise with agencies in Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Baghdad, Constantinople, Bombay, Calcutta, and various cities in South America.
It was in 1807 that Paul Storr, the gifted master silversmith, was persuaded to join the firm, followed the next year by the sculptor, William Theed (1764-1817) who had previously worked as a modeller for Wedgwood. When Theed died, Rundell took on another leading sculptor, John Flaxman (1755-1826). Unlike Theed, Flaxman was never a partner but was employed as the firm's designer and made models and drawings for many of the firms important commissions
Having been appointed, in 1797, as one of the goldsmiths to King George III the firm were regular suppliers to the Royal Family. For example the Prince of Wales ordered a service of silver-gilt plate of sufficient size and importance for use on State occasions. The Prince of Wales State plate was shown in an exhibit held for three days of every week during the spring of 1807. Invitation was by ticket only.
"All the Rich, the great and Noble of the Land flocked to see the display of the Grand Service. Their carriages blocked Ludgate Hill until seven o'clock each evening."
It was not until after Paul Storr had left the firm in 1819 that Philip Rundell entered his own mark, though he retired soon after, in 1823. He died four years later leaving a phenomenal personal fortune of around £1,500,000 to his nephew, Joseph Neeld, (who in turn bequeathed his wealth to Queen Victoria). Rundell's workshop continued operating up until the death of John Bridge in 1834. Thereafter the firm continued to commission silver from other manufacturers until it finally closed in 1843.
William Cowper was the son of William and Mary Cowper of London. He was born in 1774, possibly in Seigford in Staffordshire. By 1782 the family were in London. William's younger brother Thomas Alexander was christened in Covent Garden in 1782. The Bombay Gazeteer lists William as entering the service of the East India Company as an ensign in 1793. He was an engineer and rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1797 and captain in 1805. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1819. He initially assisted in the surveying the Malabar coast and the interior. In 1804 he entered the service of Lieutenant General Sir Richard Jones and surveyed the route from Baroda to Bhurtpoor. Due to ill health Cowper had to turn down an appointment commanding the Pioneer Corps but was able to take charge of the construction of the new docks in Bombay in 1806. He was later to serve in the Deccan travelling over 300 miles often marching up to twenty-six miles a day.
This Warwick vase commemorates his role in the construction of the Upper and Lower Duncan Docks in Bombay. The docks were named after the then governor of Bombay Jonathan Duncan (d.1811). The contract had initially been awarded to a Captain Crozier but problems with water incursion and a heavy increase in costs led to the Committee in charge appointing Cowper to assess the work and to make recommendations. He reported that the work completed was not of sufficient strength and would need to be removed (R. A. Wadia, The Bombay Dockyard and the Wadia Master Builders, Bombay, 1957, pp. 52-57). In September 1806 Cowper was given control of the project. By November 1807 the Upper or Building section of the dock was sufficiently finished to allow work on the keel of HMS Minden to commence. By 1810 the Lower Dock had also been completed. The total cost was 561,728 Rupees and Cowper was awarded 30,000 Rupees in recognition of the his work. This was in addition to the magnificent silver Warwick Vase, the gift of six firms of Bombay merchants.
Cowper retired in 1819 and at the age of forty five married Lydia, the daughter of Dr. Richard Reed. They married at the fashionable St. George's Church, Hanover Square. They had five children, William, Lydia, Charlotte and two christened Alexander. At least two, Lydia and the first Alexander died very young. The latter Alexander was probably born posthumously as he was christened on 11 February 1826, almost ten months after his father's death. William Cowper died at his London house 5 Montague Place in 1825. His will, which he had made on his marriage in 1819, left everything to his wife apart from making provision for his mother and his brother's natural children.
RUNDELL, BRIDGE AND RUNDELL
While today names like Paul Storr and John Bridge are celebrated for their excellence of design and skill in craftsmanship, in first years of the 19th century it would have been the retailers Rundell Bridge and Rundell whose name represented the pinnacle of The Business of Luxury,as they are described in Royal Goldsmiths: The Art of Rundell & Bridge 1797-1843, London, 2005.
The firm, located at 32 Ludgate Hill, was born when Philip Rundell (1746-1827) bought the business of William Pickett, in 1786. He was joined in running the business by John Bridge. The pair made a perfect team with Rundell running the shop while Bridge dealt with the clients. In 1805, Rundell took his nephew, Edmund Waller Rundell into partnership, whereupon the business was restyled Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
By this time they were one of the main manufacturers of quality silver plate, jewels and gold boxes. The firm grew rapidly, so much so that by the 1820's, it was a vast enterprise with agencies in Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Baghdad, Constantinople, Bombay, Calcutta, and various cities in South America.
It was in 1807 that Paul Storr, the gifted master silversmith, was persuaded to join the firm, followed the next year by the sculptor, William Theed (1764-1817) who had previously worked as a modeller for Wedgwood. When Theed died, Rundell took on another leading sculptor, John Flaxman (1755-1826). Unlike Theed, Flaxman was never a partner but was employed as the firm's designer and made models and drawings for many of the firms important commissions
Having been appointed, in 1797, as one of the goldsmiths to King George III the firm were regular suppliers to the Royal Family. For example the Prince of Wales ordered a service of silver-gilt plate of sufficient size and importance for use on State occasions. The Prince of Wales State plate was shown in an exhibit held for three days of every week during the spring of 1807. Invitation was by ticket only.
"All the Rich, the great and Noble of the Land flocked to see the display of the Grand Service. Their carriages blocked Ludgate Hill until seven o'clock each evening."
It was not until after Paul Storr had left the firm in 1819 that Philip Rundell entered his own mark, though he retired soon after, in 1823. He died four years later leaving a phenomenal personal fortune of around £1,500,000 to his nephew, Joseph Neeld, (who in turn bequeathed his wealth to Queen Victoria). Rundell's workshop continued operating up until the death of John Bridge in 1834. Thereafter the firm continued to commission silver from other manufacturers until it finally closed in 1843.