A VICTORIAN SILVER ICE-BUCKET

MARK OF JOHN SEPTIMUS BERESFORD, LONDON, 1890

Details

A VICTORIAN SILVER ICE-BUCKET
MARK OF JOHN SEPTIMUS BERESFORD, LONDON, 1890
Cylindrical with flared rim, on three feet, each cast as a peasant smoking a pipe with a beer in his hand, the sides chased and embossed with genre scenes of peasants drinking and dancing in the countryside, marked underneath
12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm.) high
81 oz. 8 dwt. (2,531 gr.)

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Lot Essay

Peasants singing, drinking, laughing and relaxing are the subjects of the chased scenes on this ice-bucket. Works by Adriaen van Ostade (1610-1685) and his student Cornelis Pietersz Bega (1631-1664) depict scenes of everyday life. Genre paintings were popular among the new wealthy Dutch middle-class, giving a view into peasant life. The works are often satirical and allegorical of popular adages. The style of painting varies greatly from sensitive renderings of quiet moments to the more light-hearted raucous tavern scenes and cheerful village fairs.

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