Soup Tureen
1807-1808 (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 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.
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 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
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| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Silver, raised, cast, chased, tooled, and engraved |
| Brief description | Soup tureen and stand. Silver, Paul Storr, 1806. |
| Physical description | Silver soup tureen and stand, the hemispherical body of the tureen has a winged bust in Eygptian head-dress and a classical frieze, the handles are in the form of the winged and crowned goddess Ephesian Artemis. The domed cover with a double serpent handle above a beaded surround, and the circular stand, resting on four paw-and-scroll feet, with 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. |
| 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. |
| Subjects 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 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. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.785:1-2008 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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