Soup Tureen
1806-1807 (hallmarked)
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This tureen is one of a set of four which delivers one of the most magnificent statements of English silver in the neo-Egyptian style, popular after Napoleon's defeat by Admiral Nelson in Egypt in 1798. Striking elements are the winged pharoah masks, the winged lion supports and depictions of Egyptian gods, such as Babi the monkey deity in the central vignette.
The set belonged to King George III's son, Ernest Augustus (1771- 1851), Duke of Cumberland, later King of Hanover, and is nearly identical to another made in 1802-3 for the 'grand service' of the Prince of Wales, later George IV (1762-1830). The tureen is engraved with the coat of arms and initials EAF for Ernest Augustus Fidekommiss ('entailed to the estate of Ernest Augustus), a further mark of ownership as he refused to return the royal plate to his niece in Great Britain, Queen Victoria.
Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.
The set belonged to King George III's son, Ernest Augustus (1771- 1851), Duke of Cumberland, later King of Hanover, and is nearly identical to another made in 1802-3 for the 'grand service' of the Prince of Wales, later George IV (1762-1830). The tureen is engraved with the coat of arms and initials EAF for Ernest Augustus Fidekommiss ('entailed to the estate of Ernest Augustus), a further mark of ownership as he refused to return the royal plate to his niece in Great Britain, Queen Victoria.
Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.
Object details
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| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Raised, cast, chased, tooled, and engraved silver |
| Brief description | Silver soup tureen and stand, London hallmarks for 1806-7, mark of Paul Storr |
| Physical description | Silver soup tureen and stand, the hemispherical body of the tureen has a winged bust in Egyptian head-dress and a classical frieze, the handles are in the form of the winged and crowned goddess Ephesian Artemis. The domed cover has a double serpent handle above a beaded surround, and the circular stand, resting on four paw-and-scroll feet, has a laurel-wreath border and a band applied around the raised centre. |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: H.R.H. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover. Crichton Brothers, London. Mrs Fay Plohn, sale, Sotheby's, lots 89-90, October 15, 1970. Lillian and Morrie A. Moss, Memphis, Tennessee. Purchased from David Orgell, Inc., Beverly Hills, 1975. One of a set of four tureens, two large and two small, which magnificent examples of Egyptian revival silver. Egyptomania flourished in France after Napoleon's expedition to Egypt and in England after Admiral Nelson defeated Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. The decoration of these tureens draws on eighteenth century engravings by G.B.Piranesi after ancient vases and designs by the French sculptor Henri Auguste. |
| Historical context | Intended for serving soup from the dining table of this royal Duke. |
| Production | Probably after a design by Jean-Jacques Boileau; a example is preserved in a folio of Boileau's drawings in the V&A and illustrated in Schroder, 1988, figure 82, page 363. The bowl of the tureen is raised, with separately assembled base. The stem is attached to the base by four screws and the cast lions by two screws each. The base is attached to the stand by four screws. The handles and relief ornament on the tureen and stands are cast and applied. The cover is raised, with seamed flanges and cast beading attached by four screws, and the handles are attached by three screws. The stand is raised, with cast and applied borders and feet. The band of ornament within is embossed; the lozenges are separately cast and each is attached by two screws. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This tureen is one of a set of four which delivers one of the most magnificent statements of English silver in the neo-Egyptian style, popular after Napoleon's defeat by Admiral Nelson in Egypt in 1798. Striking elements are the winged pharoah masks, the winged lion supports and depictions of Egyptian gods, such as Babi the monkey deity in the central vignette. The set belonged to King George III's son, Ernest Augustus (1771- 1851), Duke of Cumberland, later King of Hanover, and is nearly identical to another made in 1802-3 for the 'grand service' of the Prince of Wales, later George IV (1762-1830). The tureen is engraved with the coat of arms and initials EAF for Ernest Augustus Fidekommiss ('entailed to the estate of Ernest Augustus), a further mark of ownership as he refused to return the royal plate to his niece in Great Britain, Queen Victoria. Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.784:1 to 3-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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