Silver, Continental

Cylindrical covered tankard with hinged lid, the body chased and engraved with strapwork and set with coins mainly Swedish, the whole supported on 3 ball feet in the form of fruit, the handle cast with a ball fruit finial.

Bequeathed by John Jones

Jones Bequest


From Scandinavian Domestic Silver, Charles Oman, V&A 1959: 'Said to have been given by Queen Louisa Ulrica to Lars Thorbiornsson, Speaker of the Peasants' House of Assembly.'
From Silver, ed Philippa Glanville, V&A 1996: ‘The Napoleonic Wars made the traditional Grand Tour impossible for the Regency traveller. This Swedish parcel-gilt tankard of 1727-35 illustrates the consequent shift of interest to Scandinavia. It was acquired by Sir Arthur Capell-Brooke, who travelled extensively in Sweden, Norway, 'Finmark' and Lapland during 1820. The tankard was later owned by the celebrated collector John Jones, who bequeathed it to the V&A in 1882.’
Catalogue of Scandinavian and Baltic Silver, RW Lightbown, V&A, 1975, p169: ‘A letter from Messrs Nixon and Rhodes of 390 Oxford Street, dated 13 February 1860, says that the tankard was purchased by them “at the sale of the effects of the late Sir Arthur de Cape Broke (sic) Bt of Oakley Hall - Nr Kettering Northamptonshire” . Sir Arthur de Capell Brooke (1791-1858) ... travelled in Scandinavia in 1820. Neither his ‘Travels through Sweden, Norway and Finmark to the North Pole in the Summer of 1820’, 1823, nor his ‘Winter in Lapland and Sweden’, 1827, contains any reference to the tankard. ...
Lars Torbiornsson (b. 26 March 1719; d. 3 March 1786), the son of Torbiorn Rasmussen and Katerina Ramberg, was born at Solberga. He was Speaker of the Peasants’ House from 1755 until 1778.
Queen Louisa Ulrica of Prussia (d. 1782) was the wife of King Adolphus Frederick (b. 1710, reigned 1751-71) whom she married in 1744. It is a reasonable assumption that, if the tradition of presentation is a true one, she gave Torbiornsson the tankard at some date between 1755 and his death in 1778. Bribery and corruption were endemic in Swedish politics of the day.
Obviously the tankard was not made for the Queen, though it is an exceptionally heavy and splendid piece. The Terminus Post Quem for its manufacture is 1727 the date of the coin of Frederick and Ulrica Eleonora set significantly in the centre of the lid. A Terminus Ante Quem is provided by the inscription dated 1735 on the escutcheon on the handle... a year letter system was introcuded in Arboga on 3 July 1733; the absence of a year letter on the tankard should mean that it was made before that date. On acquisition it was dated around 1770: this was subsequently changed to a date around 1720. The design is of standard Swedish Late Baroque type.’

The Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century made the traditional Grand Tour of France, Germany and Italy impossible for the Regency traveller and art collector. This Swedish parcel-gilt tankard illustrates the consequent shift of interest to Scandinavia. It was acquired by Sir Arthur Capell-Brooke, who travelled extensively in Sweden, Norway, 'Finmark' and Lapland during 1820. It is inlaid with silver coins, mainly Swedish but including others from Denmark, Germany, France and England.

The tankard was later owned by the celebrated collector John Jones, who bequeathed it to the V&A in 1882 along with many other objects.

864-1882