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Lot Essay
THE HAMILTON SERVICE
The Hamilton service, one of the great Storr dinner services, was commissioned for the 10th Duke of Hamilton as his ambassadorial plate on his appointment to the court of St. Petersburg on May 28, 1806. Its superb quality and design should be compared with the celebrated Egremont service of 1806/7 sold Christie's New York on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines through the Presidential Commission for Good Government, January 10, 1991, lot 54. A set of triangular dishes from the same service is in an American private collection and illustrated in Michael Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, 2nd ed., 1985, cover illustration and plate 74. A significant portion of the Hamilton service, comprising some 278 pieces and weighing a total of 9,513 oz., was dispersed by Christie's in London in 1919.
Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton, born in 1767, was the premier peer in the Peerage of Scotland and Hereditary Keeper of Holyrood House. His early travels in Italy instilled in him a great love of art and he became a prodigious collector. He entered politics in 1802 as a Whig, but as it was remarked in an obituary notice "... timidity and variableness of temperament prevented his rendering much service to, or being much relied on by his Party... with a great predisposition to over estimate the importance of ancient birth... he well deserved to be considered the proudest man in England" (Complete Peerage).
The Duke of Hamilton was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1826 and was Lord High Steward at the coronations of William IV and Queen Victoria. He married in 1810 Susan Euphemia, daughter and heir of William Beckford, described as "... one of the handsomest women of her time" (Lord Malmesbury, Memoirs of an ex-Minister, 1855, p. 487)
Lord Lamington in The Days of the Dandies wrote of the Duke thus: "Never was such a magnifico as the 10th Duke, the Ambassador to the Empress Catherine; when I knew him he was very old but held himself straight as any Grenadier. He was always dressed in a military laced undress coat, tights and Hessian boots &c." Lady Stafford mentions "... his great coat, long Queue and Fingers cover'd with gold Rings."
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.
The Hamilton service, one of the great Storr dinner services, was commissioned for the 10th Duke of Hamilton as his ambassadorial plate on his appointment to the court of St. Petersburg on May 28, 1806. Its superb quality and design should be compared with the celebrated Egremont service of 1806/7 sold Christie's New York on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines through the Presidential Commission for Good Government, January 10, 1991, lot 54. A set of triangular dishes from the same service is in an American private collection and illustrated in Michael Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, 2nd ed., 1985, cover illustration and plate 74. A significant portion of the Hamilton service, comprising some 278 pieces and weighing a total of 9,513 oz., was dispersed by Christie's in London in 1919.
Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton, born in 1767, was the premier peer in the Peerage of Scotland and Hereditary Keeper of Holyrood House. His early travels in Italy instilled in him a great love of art and he became a prodigious collector. He entered politics in 1802 as a Whig, but as it was remarked in an obituary notice "... timidity and variableness of temperament prevented his rendering much service to, or being much relied on by his Party... with a great predisposition to over estimate the importance of ancient birth... he well deserved to be considered the proudest man in England" (Complete Peerage).
The Duke of Hamilton was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1826 and was Lord High Steward at the coronations of William IV and Queen Victoria. He married in 1810 Susan Euphemia, daughter and heir of William Beckford, described as "... one of the handsomest women of her time" (Lord Malmesbury, Memoirs of an ex-Minister, 1855, p. 487)
Lord Lamington in The Days of the Dandies wrote of the Duke thus: "Never was such a magnifico as the 10th Duke, the Ambassador to the Empress Catherine; when I knew him he was very old but held himself straight as any Grenadier. He was always dressed in a military laced undress coat, tights and Hessian boots &c." Lady Stafford mentions "... his great coat, long Queue and Fingers cover'd with gold Rings."
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.