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Soup Tureen

1806-1807 (marked)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

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.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Tureen
  • Cover
  • Stand
Materials and techniques
Silver
Brief description
Silver soup tureen with stand; Paul Storr, London, 1806-7
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 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.
Dimensions
  • Height: 37.5cm
  • Diameter: 41cm
  • Weight: 10040g
Scratch weight: 349-12 and 347-12 Updated with measurements taken 20/08/08
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
  • Engraved with crest and insignia for Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (1787-1851). (The royal ducal crest, coronet, and Garter badge of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, fifth son of George III who acceded to the throne of Hanover in 1837 as Queen Victoria was barred from that position under Salic law. However Queen Victoria claimed and demanded the return of the royal plate from the palace of Herrenhausen, Ernest refused and settled the matter by having all the plate engraved with the initials EAF for Ernest Augustus Fidekommiss (entailed to the estate of Ernest Augustus). These initials are engraved on the underside of the stands.)
  • London hallmarks for 1806-7
  • Mark of Paul Storr
  • Mark for sterling standard
  • Duty stamps under stand and on tureen and part marked on the cover, feet, and detachable handles
  • Engraved or stamped on stand and cover 'RUNDELL BRIDGE ET RUNDELL AURIFICES REGIS ET PRINCIPES WALLAE [sic] LONDINI FECERUNT'
Gallery label
Soup tureens and stands 1806–07 These tureens, from a set of four, are nearly identical to those made a few years previously for the Prince Regent. Their style reflects French print sources and silver by Henri Auguste. London, England; Paul Storr (1771–1844), probably after a design by Jean-Jacques Boileau (active in England 1787–1851) Silver Each engraved with crest and insignia for Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (1771–1851) Museum nos. Loan:Gilbert.784:1 to 3; 786:1 to 3; 787:1 to 3-2008(16/11/2016)
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, October 15, 1970, lots 89-90. 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.
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.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1988, cat. no. 95, pp. 358-63. ISBN.0875871445
  • Jones, E. Alfred. 'The Duke of Cumberland's Collection of Old English Plate'. The National Review, January 1920, London, pp. 679-85.
  • Tipping, A.H. The Silver Plate of the Duke of Cumberland. Parts I and II. Country Life, Vol. 56. London: Country Life Ltd, November 1, 1924, pp. 681-3, November 8, 1924, pp. 701-3, fig. 2.
  • Art at Auction: The Year at Sotheby's and Parke-Bernet 1970-1971. pp. 300, 317.
  • Honour, Hugh. Goldsmiths and Silversmiths. New York: G.Putnam's Sons, 1971, p.226. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971.
  • Moss, Morrie A. The Lillian and Morrie A. Moss Collection of Paul Storr Silver. Miami: Roskin Book Productions, 1972, pls. 189-90, pp.254-56.
  • Hillier, Bevis. The Gilbert Collection of Silver. The Connoisseur. June 1976, vol. 192, No. 772, p. 118 & p. 120, fig. 12.
  • Brett, Vanessa. The Sotheby's Directory of Silver, 1600-1940. London: Sotheby Publications, 1986, no. 1130.
  • Williams, Elizabeth A. The Gilbert Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), 2010, fig. 17, p. 42. ISBN 9780875872100
  • Jones, William Ezelle, Monumental Silver: Selections from the Gilbert Collection. Los Angeles : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977 no.23
  • Clark, Mark A., Paul Storr Silver in American Collections, Indianapolis ; Dayton, 1972 Cat No.22, lent by Lilliand and Morrie A. Moss
Other numbers
  • SG 63D - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • SG 362 i - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 2001.10 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.787:1 to 3-2008

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Record createdJune 26, 2008
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