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Lot Essay
The Tankard
Similar Norwegian birch tankards attributed to Halvor Tordsen Fanden and to his son Samuel Halvorsen Fanden are illustrated in P. Gjaerder, Norske Drikkekar av Tre, Oslo, 1982, figs. 706-709. An almost identical example was sold, Sotheby's, London, 27 April 2001, lot 51, carved with the Evangelists within similar garland borders.
The Stand
The stand for the tankard was commissioned by Thomas Bulkeley Bulkeley-Owen (1790-1867) from the leading London firm of Edward Barnard and Sons in 1831 a year after inheriting the estate of Tedsmore from his father Bulkeley Hatchett (d.1830). Thomas was born at Shrewsbury in 1790, and adopted the surnames of Bulkeley-Owen in lieu of Hatchett, this was later confirmed by royal license in 1848. He married in 1824, Marianne, eldest daughter of the Rev. E. Tuelwall, of Llanbedr Hall, Ruthin and they had a son and heir, Bulkeley Hatchett, who was born in 1825 with a daughter a second son who succeeded his brother.
A legend records that in 1402 Hywel Sele, 8th Lord of Nannau, a royalist, was killed by his rebel cousin Owain Glyndwr (c.1354-1416) who concealed the body in the hollow of an oak where it remained undiscovered for forty years. This oak was named 'Ceubren yr Ellyll' (the hollow tree of the demon) and was, until its destruction during a storm in 1813, the terror of the superstitious. The story was well told in Thomas Pennant's Tour of Wales, vol. I, p.348 and inspired Sir Walter Scott to write Marmion. After the fall of the tree many objects were fashioned from its timber. These include a pair of Regency silver-mounted treen oak cups, with mounts by Thomas and James Phipps, London, 1815 and a pair of Regency silver-mounted treen oak stands, the mounts by John Reily, London, 1825 made for Sir Robert Williames Vaughan of Nannau (1768-1843) which were sold Christie's London, 13 November 1997, lots 6 and 7. The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff has in its collection a set of six silver mounted acorn shaped cups of 1824 made to celebrated the coming of age of Sir Robert Vaughan's eldest son.
Similar Norwegian birch tankards attributed to Halvor Tordsen Fanden and to his son Samuel Halvorsen Fanden are illustrated in P. Gjaerder, Norske Drikkekar av Tre, Oslo, 1982, figs. 706-709. An almost identical example was sold, Sotheby's, London, 27 April 2001, lot 51, carved with the Evangelists within similar garland borders.
The Stand
The stand for the tankard was commissioned by Thomas Bulkeley Bulkeley-Owen (1790-1867) from the leading London firm of Edward Barnard and Sons in 1831 a year after inheriting the estate of Tedsmore from his father Bulkeley Hatchett (d.1830). Thomas was born at Shrewsbury in 1790, and adopted the surnames of Bulkeley-Owen in lieu of Hatchett, this was later confirmed by royal license in 1848. He married in 1824, Marianne, eldest daughter of the Rev. E. Tuelwall, of Llanbedr Hall, Ruthin and they had a son and heir, Bulkeley Hatchett, who was born in 1825 with a daughter a second son who succeeded his brother.
A legend records that in 1402 Hywel Sele, 8th Lord of Nannau, a royalist, was killed by his rebel cousin Owain Glyndwr (c.1354-1416) who concealed the body in the hollow of an oak where it remained undiscovered for forty years. This oak was named 'Ceubren yr Ellyll' (the hollow tree of the demon) and was, until its destruction during a storm in 1813, the terror of the superstitious. The story was well told in Thomas Pennant's Tour of Wales, vol. I, p.348 and inspired Sir Walter Scott to write Marmion. After the fall of the tree many objects were fashioned from its timber. These include a pair of Regency silver-mounted treen oak cups, with mounts by Thomas and James Phipps, London, 1815 and a pair of Regency silver-mounted treen oak stands, the mounts by John Reily, London, 1825 made for Sir Robert Williames Vaughan of Nannau (1768-1843) which were sold Christie's London, 13 November 1997, lots 6 and 7. The National Museum of Wales, Cardiff has in its collection a set of six silver mounted acorn shaped cups of 1824 made to celebrated the coming of age of Sir Robert Vaughan's eldest son.