Salver
1732-1733 (hallmarked)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This salver and its pair were made to furnish the house of the newly wed Henriette Finch and William Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland, grandson of Charles II. Although of fine quality, they are of interest mainly for their superb engraving, which places them in a small group of plate made by Charles Kandler between 1730 and 1732.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
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.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
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.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt, raised, cast, chased, flat chased, engraved, punched, matted |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt, London hallmarks for 1732-33, mark of Charles Kandler |
| Physical description | Silver-gilt salver of shaped circular form, on three pad-and-scroll feet, with a molded border chased with vines and alternating bacchant and satyr masks. A band of scrolls, foliage, cornucopias and trelliswork on punched matted ground is flat-chased around the border. The chased design incorporates a cipher and a crest and coronet, each engraved three times; in the centre is engraved the coat of arms for William Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland (1697-1774). |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | (Gallery 71, case 4)
7, 9. Pair of salvers
1732–33
Silver was often commissioned on the occasion of marriage and the setting up of a new joint household. These salvers were supplied for Henrietta Finch and her new husband William Fitzroy, third Duke of Cleveland and grandson of King Charles II. The fine engraving is found on other pieces marked by Charles Kandler, who possibly came to London from Dresden.
London, England; Charles Kandler (active about 1727–76)
Gilded silver
Museum nos. Loan:Gilbert.655, 656-2008(16/11/2016) |
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: William Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland. Captain Forester. J. Tayleur. Purchased from Spink and Son Ltd., London, 1983. |
| Historical context | Henrietta Finch, 3rd Duchess of Cleveland was a sculptress and the bust she created of her sister Lady Elizabeth is displayed in the V&A's Hintze Galleries, a recent acquisition (A.1-2013). The elaborate flat-chased decoration on these salvers demonstrates the sophisticated taste of the Duke and Duchess as well as the skill of the chaser employed by Kandler, who has not yet been identified. The iconography of the borders and chased decoration on these salvers is evidently intended to celebrate the marriage of William Fitzroy and Lady Henrietta Finch which took place on 22 January 1731/2 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This salver and its pair were made to furnish the house of the newly wed Henriette Finch and William Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Cleveland, grandson of Charles II. Although of fine quality, they are of interest mainly for their superb engraving, which places them in a small group of plate made by Charles Kandler between 1730 and 1732. When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving. 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. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no. 52, pp. 210-13. ISBN.0875871445 |
| Other numbers |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.655-2008 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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