Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers.
ESSEX, England – UK-based Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers of Stansted Mountfitchet will present an outstanding selection of silver and jewelry – some of it with historical provenance – on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. UK time (5 a.m. US Eastern time), with Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.
Among the special highlights are:
Lot 208: A cased Austro-Hungarian gold diamond and enamel brooch/pendant, circa 1910, estimated at £800-£1,200. The brooch is of an oval form, with a diamond-set monogram applied to a blue guilloché ground. It has a satin-finish laurel leaf border with diamond set crossover ties at the cardinal points and a diamond-set coronet above with red guilloché enamel ground. Marked for Vienna 1874-1922, 0.580 standard, it comes in a case by A E Köchert, Wien, with a tooled crest to the lid, together with a bronze medallion commemorating the 25th wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Portland and the 21st birthday of their son, Marquess of Titchfield, in 1914. Additionally, it is accompanied by nine letters to Mary Marshall, Head Housekeeper at Welbeck Abbey; and eight letters from the Duke and Duchess of Portland, dated 1897-1923.
The brooch was a gift to Mary Marshall from Archduke Franz Ferdinand during one of his visits to the Duke and Duchess of Portland at Welbeck Abbey, likely in November 1913. The Archduke and his wife Sophie had been staying with King George V at Windsor before they joined the house party at Welbeck Abbey on November 22nd. The house party included many other illustrious guests, including the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador, Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Lord and Lady Salisbury and Arthur Balfour, the Conservative Prime Minister.
Only six months after the house party, on June 28, 1914, Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, a trigger for the commencement of World War 1.
Also included in the lot are letters from both the Duke and Duchess of Portland to Mary Marshall. Welbeck Abbey suffered a serious fire in 1900. The Duke and Duchess were away but the children were in residence. It was reported that they were saved due to the quick thinking of Mary Marshall, and there are letters included in this lot from the Duke and Duchess thanking her and the staff and making contingency plans for their next visit. Also included are letters thanking Marshall for her years of service on notice of her retirement in 1923.
Lot 20, a French silver plaquette by Jacques-Frederic Kirstein, Strasbourg, circa 1825-1830, is estimated at £2,500-£3,500. The piece is chased in high relief and is superbly detailed with a boar-hunting scene. Measuring 10.5cm in diameter, it is signed “Kirstein a Strasbourg” and is presented in a 20cm-square gilt metal and ebonized wooden frame.
Jacques Frederic Kirstenstein (contracted to “Kirstein” in signatures) came from a well-established family of goldsmiths based in Strasbourg from the early 18th century. After the French Revolution, the demand for large silver declined and Jacques-Frederic (1765-1838) decided to specialize in small chased and repoussé subjects with an emphasis on hunting or military scenes. These were made in silver or gold for use as plaquettes, like the one on offer, or were set in snuff boxes. The superb quality of high-relief chasing in his work brought him international acclaim, and he won gold medals at the Exhibitions of 1810 and 1834. Examples of his work are in the collections of Baronne Elie de Rothschild, Monsieur Jacques Kugel, the British Royal Collection, and the Arthur Gilbert collection.
Lot 287 is an elegant single-row graduated natural pearl necklace with a French Art Deco diamond set clasp, and is estimated at £30,000-£40,000. It comprises a single row of 75 graduated natural pearls, 5.1-10.1mm in size, strung-knotted to a single row, with an Art Deco diamond-set “box” clasp. The stepped rectangular geometric clasp, with a baguette-cut diamond rub set to the center, has lines of grain set old European and eight cut diamonds. Remnants of an unidentified signature are seen at two separate points on the clasp.
For additional information on any items in Sworders’ Dec. 3 Silver and Fine Jewellery auction, call 011 44 1279 817778 or email georgeschooling@sworder.co.uk.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers. Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers. Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers. Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers. Image courtesy of Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers.
