Basket
1797-1798 (hallmarked)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This basket, wrought to look like woven ears of wheat, was made for the wealthy collector and patron, William Beckford (1760-1844) of Fonthill Abbey. Silver baskets were normally used to serve bread at the dinner table, but this one is extremely heavy and thus was most probably intended for display only.
By the early 19th century, the immense wealth of Britain's richest citizens enabled them to patronise the luxury trades of coach-builders, cabinet-makers and silversmiths. The Prince Regent (later George IV) and his aristocratic contemporaries set the style of what became known as the Regency period. They were indebted to the most prestigious firm of London goldsmiths of the age, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. The company supplied silver at the forefront of fashion. Their large design studio included important artists such as John Flaxman and Jean-Jacques Boileau.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. They also collected a pair of Chinese Ch'ien-lung porcelain coffee pots ca.1736 to which the London silversmith James Aldridge added silver mounts for William Beckford in 1820-21 and a carved agate cup with with cast and engraved gilded silver mounts, 1815-20. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
By the early 19th century, the immense wealth of Britain's richest citizens enabled them to patronise the luxury trades of coach-builders, cabinet-makers and silversmiths. The Prince Regent (later George IV) and his aristocratic contemporaries set the style of what became known as the Regency period. They were indebted to the most prestigious firm of London goldsmiths of the age, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. The company supplied silver at the forefront of fashion. Their large design studio included important artists such as John Flaxman and Jean-Jacques Boileau.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. They also collected a pair of Chinese Ch'ien-lung porcelain coffee pots ca.1736 to which the London silversmith James Aldridge added silver mounts for William Beckford in 1820-21 and a carved agate cup with with cast and engraved gilded silver mounts, 1815-20. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cast, pierced, chased and engraved silver-gilt |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt basket in the form of plaited ears of wheat; Paul Storr, London, 1797-98 |
| Physical description | Silver-gilt basket in the form of plaited ears of wheat. The pierced rim foot is chased with trellised basketwork with plaiting above and below. The spreading sides are formed as forty groups of three ears of wheat plaited together, the curling ears forming the border. A band of reed-and-tie ornament is applied around the lower part of the basket. The underside of the plain base is engraved with the crest of William Beckford (1760-1844). |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: William Beckford, Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire; sale, Christie's, lot 75 or 76 (9th day's sale), 18 October 1822. John Farquhar. Victor Rothschild; sale, Sotheby's, lot 20 (the pair). April 26th, 1937. Francis Stonor. Mrs. Fay Plohn; sale, Sotheby's, lot 79, October 15th, 1970. Purchased from S.J. Shrubsole Corporation, New York, 1970. |
| Historical context | This basket is one of a pair although the present whereabouts of the other is unknown. They were intended for bread and probably placed on the dining table or side board. |
| Production | The foot is cast and fastened to the upper part of the basket with eight pins; the base is fitted between the foot and basket and is not otherwise secured. The sides are formed from plaited and soldered wires. The band of reed and tie is cast and applied to the stalks. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This basket, wrought to look like woven ears of wheat, was made for the wealthy collector and patron, William Beckford (1760-1844) of Fonthill Abbey. Silver baskets were normally used to serve bread at the dinner table, but this one is extremely heavy and thus was most probably intended for display only. By the early 19th century, the immense wealth of Britain's richest citizens enabled them to patronise the luxury trades of coach-builders, cabinet-makers and silversmiths. The Prince Regent (later George IV) and his aristocratic contemporaries set the style of what became known as the Regency period. They were indebted to the most prestigious firm of London goldsmiths of the age, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. The company supplied silver at the forefront of fashion. Their large design studio included important artists such as John Flaxman and Jean-Jacques Boileau. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. They also collected a pair of Chinese Ch'ien-lung porcelain coffee pots ca.1736 to which the London silversmith James Aldridge added silver mounts for William Beckford in 1820-21 and a carved agate cup with with cast and engraved gilded silver mounts, 1815-20. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.735-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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