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. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
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.
Place of Origin
London, England (assayed)
Date
1797-1798 (hallmarked)
Artist/maker
Storr, Paul, born 1771 - died 1844 (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Cast, pierced, chased and engraved silver-gilt
Marks and inscriptions
Engraved with the crest of William Beckford.
London hallmarks for 1797-98
Mark of Paul Storr
Dimensions
Height: 13.5 cm, Width: 51.5 cm, Depth: 39.5 cm, Weight: 8580 g
Object history note
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.
Descriptive line
Silver-gilt basket in the form of plaited ears of wheat; Paul Storr, London, 1797-98
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Penzer, N. M. Paul Storr, 1771-1844: Silversmith and Goldsmith. London, B. T. Batsford, 1954. Reprint. London: Spring Books, 1971, pl. X, p. 98.
Art at Auction: The Year at Sotheby's and Parke-Bernet 1970-71, London; New York: Sotheby & Co. [etc.], p. 309.
Hillier, Bevis. 'The Gilbert Collection of Silver'. The Connoisseur, June 1976, vol. 192, no.772, pp. 114-21.
Snodin, Michael and Baker, Malcolm. 'William Beckford's Silver II', The Burlington Magazine, December 1980, p. 828, Appendix E20.
Brett, Vanessa. The Sotheby's Directory of Silver, 1600-1940. London: Sotheby Publications, 1986, no.1112. ISBN.0856671932.
Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no. 86, pp. 324-27. ISBN.0875871445.
Jones, William Ezelle. Exhibition catalogue, Monumental silver: selections from the Gilbert Collection. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1977, cat. no. 21.
Exhibition History
Monumental Silver: Selections from the Gilbert Collection (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 01/01/1977-31/12/1977)
Monumental Silver and Mosaics: The Gilbert Collection (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 01/01/1975-31/12/1975)
Monumental Silver: The Gilbert Collection (Los Angeles County Museum of Art 01/01/1974-31/12/1974)
Paul Storr Silver in American Collections (Dayton Art Institute 01/01/1972-31/12/1972)
Labels and date
Basket with plaited wheat
1797–8
The basket, designed to look like woven ears of wheat, was made for the wealthy collector and patron, William Beckford (1760–1844). It may have been designed by Beckford himself or his friend Gregorio Franchi. Silver baskets were used to serve bread at the dinner table, but this one is extremely heavy and must have been intended for display.
London, England; Paul Storr (1771–1844)
Gilded silver
Engraved with crest of William Beckford
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.735-2008 [2009]
Materials
Silver-gilt
Techniques
Gilding; Engraving (incising); Casting; Piercing; Chasing
Subjects depicted
Trellis; Crest; Basketwork; Ears of wheat
Categories
Metalwork; Food vessels & Tableware
Collection code
MET
