THE SILVER MOUNTS WITH MARK OF JAMES ALDRIDGE, LONDON, 1816, THE PORCELAIN JUG, DRESDEN, CIRCA 1740-1745

Details

A REGENCY SILVER-GILT MOUNTED MEISSEN PORCELAIN CREAM-JUG
THE SILVER MOUNTS WITH MARK OF JAMES ALDRIDGE, LONDON, 1816, THE PORCELAIN JUG, DRESDEN, CIRCA 1740-1745
The turquoise glazed porcelain baluster-shaped body painted with figures in classical landscapes within gilt bordered quatrefoil reserves, on a silver gilt polyfoil spreading foot, each scroll-bordered lobe chased with three overlapping scallop shells, the lip mount and spout with foliate and shell ornament in similar high relief, the upper handle junction applied with the Hamilton cinquefoil and the Beckford Latimer cross, with leaf capped beaded scroll handle, marked on foot mount, the neck mount unmarked
7 in. (17.8 cm.) high
gross weight 14 oz. (437 gr.)

Provenance

William Beckford (1760-1844), of Fonthill Abbey, later Lansdown Tower, Bath.
The Late Sir Michael Sobell; Sotheby's, London, 9 June 1994, lot 244.

Literature

D. E. Ostergard, ed., William Beckford 1760-1844: An Eye for the Magnificent, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2001, pp. 379-380, no. 111.

Exhibited

New York, Bard Graduate Centre, William Beckford 1760-1844: An Eye for the Magnificent, 2001-2002, then London, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 2002, no. 111.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Harry Williams-Bulkeley International Head of Silver Department

hwilliams-bulkeley@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2666

Lot Essay

WILLIAM BECKFORD AND JAMES ALDRIDGE
A celebrated art collector, connoisseur and gentleman architect, Beckford is remembered, amongst his many achievements, for his extraordinary Gothic Fonthill Abbey, designed in collaboration with the architect James Wyatt. The present exotic silver-gilt mounted German porcelain jug formed part of the mounted porcelain commissions intended to furnish this gothic tour-de-force. Some came from leading retailers such as the Royal Goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, but by far the largest surviving group is by James Aldridge. Michael Snodin cites eighteen in his extensive article 'William Beckford's Silver', The Burlington Magazine, 1980, p. 821. A smaller number of works by John Robbins, John Harris and William Burwash survive.

As observed by Jeanne Sloane in her catalogue entry for the jug, Ostergard, op. cit., p. 379, this is the only work from the Fonthill period in the Rococo style. The lip appears to owe its profile to one of the many nautilus cups he possessed, one of which was drawn by Aldridge, see James Aldridge's Design Book, folio 28, V&A no.E.1-80 1972, see opposite. Similarly the outline of the foot echoes other sketches in the album. The motifs are on the upper handle junction are characteristically heraldic, being the cinquefoil badge borne by the Dukes of Hamilton and the Latimer cross for Beckford. The design for the piece would almost certainly have been created by Aldridge under the direction of Beckford, perhaps with the supervision of his great friend Gregorio Franchi (1769-1828). The 1822 Christie's Fonthill sale catalogue, day 5, lot 12 is 'Twelve Royal Dresden Tea-cups and Saucers, Sugar and Slop-basins pale green ground, rich gold borders and landscapes, inside and out, of a very superior quality, a Cream ewer to correspond, massively mounted, and richly covered in silver gilt'. In the 1823 Phillips auction catalogue the cream jug is offered separately in a gilt glass dish.

More from Bayreuth: A Connoisseur's Collection of English Silver and Gold Boxes

View All