Lot Essay
Described in the 1856 Garrard probate valuation of the plate belonging to the 13th Duke of Norfolk as 'A chased grape and vine coronation tankard with ivory carving of St. George and the Dragon', this present tankard would appear to have been a privately commissioned commemoration of the 12th Duke's role as Earl Marshall at the Coronation in 1831 of King William IV and his Queen Consort, Queen Adelaide. The office of Earl Marshall, which the Dukes of Norfolk have held since the early Middle Ages, entailed the planning and execution of all State ceremonies, most notably the Coronation. Traditionally, the Earl Marshall received a gold staff of office and a gold cup and cover, both perquisites of the office. However, an examination of the records relating to the Coronation of William IV and Queen Adelaide reveals the extent of the government's insistence that the cost of the Coronation be kept in proportion to the funds available. Documents kept in the Public Record Office, Kew, show that the Duke did not receive the usual gold cup and cover. Document LC2.59 from the Lord Chamberlain's Accounts, Bills of Expenses, Coronation of their Majestie's King William the Fourth and Queen Consort Adelaide in Westminster Abbey of the Eight of September in the Year of Our Lord 1831, records the itemised costs for the ceremony which commences with a bill of £1453,19.8 from the Crown Jewellers, Rundell & Bridge, and £541-11s from Garrard and Co. These are by far the largest single invoices recorded in the manuscript and account for the cleaning, repair and setting with gems of the Crown Jewels and the creation of numerous orders and pieces of plate for members of the Royal Family, the Household and those holding offices which entitled them to perquisites. For example, the Lord Almoner received
'A large silver-gilt bason, chased border with £115 -.-
with his Majestie's arms, Supporters & C
engraved in centre, in a waistcot
chest complete'
However, the document lists only a gold staff for the Earl Marshall, and this is entered on folio 5 as a supplementary entry together with a payment to the Choir of the Chapel Royal
Afterwards added Rundell & Bridge for a
Baton for the Earl Marshall £104.8s
Gentlemen and Children
of the Chapel Royal £ 52.10s
Document LC.2.60, a bundle of bills and letters relating to the Coronation accounts, reveals the economising which had taken place. Letters to the Lord Chamberlain's office urgently requesting an estimate for the costs of the Coronation from the Treasury list the usual perquisites described in an eventual account as the 'Gold and Silver articles of plate delivered to Great Officers and others of State who performed Duties at the Coronation', however subsequent lists have a number of these crossed out and a pencil query annotated alongside. Not only the Gold Cup for the Earl Marshall but also 'A Gold Cup for the Lord Mayor'
The lavish lifestyle of the Court of King George IV had strained the Country's finances and the Coronation of William IV was on a considerably smaller scale to that of his brother.
This present tankard and a silver-gilt cup with Howard crest handles and inlaid with the gold Coronation medal of William IV and Queen Adelaide, appear to have been commissioned by the Duke in the absence of the expected perquisite. The cup (A Californian Charitable Institution, Christie's New York, 11 April 1995, lot 242) bears the mark of Paul Storr, although it was almost certainly commissioned from Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
Bernard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, had inherited the title from his cousin, Charles, 11th Duke of Norfolk, in 1815. His cousin had been a considerable patron of Rundell's and Duke Bernard continued this patronage. The Archives of the Duke of Norfolk, Arundel Castle, Mss A, 1957, illustrates the extent of the account. Between 18 May 1811 and 12 June 1822, Duke Charles and Duke Bernard spent an incredible £12,987 4s 3d on silver and silver-gilt. Sadly the accounts for the cup and tankard do not survive. Duke Bernard was a Fellow of the Royal Society and also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and it is very probable that his antiquarian interests led him to order a tankard with such historical overtones as the present example. The use of an antique ivory plaque, and the massive form which harks back to German plate of the 17th Century, is typical of the early 19th Century historicism promoted by the Prince Regent, later King George IV. It is 'Royal' in style, emulating much of the grand silver-gilt plate commissioned by King George IV and the Duke of Sussex from Rundells and by the Duke of York from the retailer Kensington Lewis (see A. Phillips and J. Sloane, Antiquity Revisited: English and French Silver-Gilt from the Collection of Audrey Love, London, 1997).
The subject of the ivory plaque, St. George killing the dragon, anticipates the Duke's creation as a Knight of the Garter three years later in 1834, when he had his arms encircled by the motto of the Garter engraved on the tankard. Later the gold Coronation medal of Queen Victoria has been inserted into the underside of the cover.
The combination of dramatic action, the subject matter and the delicate carving of the ivory plaque points to it being South German and dating from the late 17th or early 18th Century. Comparions can be drawn with the ivory carving seen on the Sobieski Cup, carved to commemorate the defeat of the Grand Vizir Kara-Mustapha by King Leopold I at the battle of Vienna, 1683, illustrated in J. Wettstein and M. Bidaudt, Les Ivoires, Evolution Décorative du 1er Siècle a nos Jours, Paris, 1972, p.163. It also has similarities with the work of the Italian born, German trained ivory carver, Antonio Leoni (fl. 1704-1716)
'A large silver-gilt bason, chased border with £115 -.-
with his Majestie's arms, Supporters & C
engraved in centre, in a waistcot
chest complete'
However, the document lists only a gold staff for the Earl Marshall, and this is entered on folio 5 as a supplementary entry together with a payment to the Choir of the Chapel Royal
Afterwards added Rundell & Bridge for a
Baton for the Earl Marshall £104.8s
Gentlemen and Children
of the Chapel Royal £ 52.10s
Document LC.2.60, a bundle of bills and letters relating to the Coronation accounts, reveals the economising which had taken place. Letters to the Lord Chamberlain's office urgently requesting an estimate for the costs of the Coronation from the Treasury list the usual perquisites described in an eventual account as the 'Gold and Silver articles of plate delivered to Great Officers and others of State who performed Duties at the Coronation', however subsequent lists have a number of these crossed out and a pencil query annotated alongside. Not only the Gold Cup for the Earl Marshall but also 'A Gold Cup for the Lord Mayor'
The lavish lifestyle of the Court of King George IV had strained the Country's finances and the Coronation of William IV was on a considerably smaller scale to that of his brother.
This present tankard and a silver-gilt cup with Howard crest handles and inlaid with the gold Coronation medal of William IV and Queen Adelaide, appear to have been commissioned by the Duke in the absence of the expected perquisite. The cup (A Californian Charitable Institution, Christie's New York, 11 April 1995, lot 242) bears the mark of Paul Storr, although it was almost certainly commissioned from Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
Bernard, 12th Duke of Norfolk, had inherited the title from his cousin, Charles, 11th Duke of Norfolk, in 1815. His cousin had been a considerable patron of Rundell's and Duke Bernard continued this patronage. The Archives of the Duke of Norfolk, Arundel Castle, Mss A, 1957, illustrates the extent of the account. Between 18 May 1811 and 12 June 1822, Duke Charles and Duke Bernard spent an incredible £12,987 4s 3d on silver and silver-gilt. Sadly the accounts for the cup and tankard do not survive. Duke Bernard was a Fellow of the Royal Society and also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and it is very probable that his antiquarian interests led him to order a tankard with such historical overtones as the present example. The use of an antique ivory plaque, and the massive form which harks back to German plate of the 17th Century, is typical of the early 19th Century historicism promoted by the Prince Regent, later King George IV. It is 'Royal' in style, emulating much of the grand silver-gilt plate commissioned by King George IV and the Duke of Sussex from Rundells and by the Duke of York from the retailer Kensington Lewis (see A. Phillips and J. Sloane, Antiquity Revisited: English and French Silver-Gilt from the Collection of Audrey Love, London, 1997).
The subject of the ivory plaque, St. George killing the dragon, anticipates the Duke's creation as a Knight of the Garter three years later in 1834, when he had his arms encircled by the motto of the Garter engraved on the tankard. Later the gold Coronation medal of Queen Victoria has been inserted into the underside of the cover.
The combination of dramatic action, the subject matter and the delicate carving of the ivory plaque points to it being South German and dating from the late 17th or early 18th Century. Comparions can be drawn with the ivory carving seen on the Sobieski Cup, carved to commemorate the defeat of the Grand Vizir Kara-Mustapha by King Leopold I at the battle of Vienna, 1683, illustrated in J. Wettstein and M. Bidaudt, Les Ivoires, Evolution Décorative du 1er Siècle a nos Jours, Paris, 1972, p.163. It also has similarities with the work of the Italian born, German trained ivory carver, Antonio Leoni (fl. 1704-1716)