Old Silver- and Gold-ware
China
Intro
The silver and gold pieces narrated below had been in the Kempe collection and its sale by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008.
1
Tang Gilt Silver Bowl
2019 SOLD for $ 3.5M by Christie's
At the very beginning of the Tang dynasty, the Silk Road brings to the Chinese through the Sogdian merchants the dishes and jewels in precious metals. The Sassanian Persia thus exports its techniques for the processing of hammered, parceled, mercury gilded and incised silver. Silver could become a substitute with an acceptable healthiness facing bronze, jade and ceramics. The most luxurious pieces could be used as diplomatic gifts or for presentation.
A Tang bowl 24.5 cm in diameter and weighing 1.05 Kg was sold by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008 for £ 1.14M from a lower estimate of £ 350K, lot 54, and for $ 3.5M by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 551.
The technique is foreign but the refinement is Chinese. The bowl has the shape of an opened lotus flower, decorated on its outer wall with three overlapping rows of lotus petals. Each frieze is composed of eight elements. A narrow garland separates the upper frieze from the rim of the bowl. The interior is centered with a gilt medallion showing a round dance of eight birds in blooming branches.
Each petal is a cartouche that was made in repoussé before being gilded and very finely chiseled with motifs of peonies and pairs of birds. This illustration is perhaps more decorative than symbolic although the repetition of the eight is certainly not a coincidence. The shape of the petals takes into account the curvature of the wall, more flared at the bottom.
This piece was made with a thick silver sheet rounded on a mould. It is a feat with regard to the regularity of its repoussé. The experts observed two tiny reworks made by the artist to correct the hammering.
These extremely rare bowls are also known in pure gold and pure silver. This type did not survive the Tang, probably because of the development of the porcelain.
A Tang bowl 24.5 cm in diameter and weighing 1.05 Kg was sold by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008 for £ 1.14M from a lower estimate of £ 350K, lot 54, and for $ 3.5M by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 551.
The technique is foreign but the refinement is Chinese. The bowl has the shape of an opened lotus flower, decorated on its outer wall with three overlapping rows of lotus petals. Each frieze is composed of eight elements. A narrow garland separates the upper frieze from the rim of the bowl. The interior is centered with a gilt medallion showing a round dance of eight birds in blooming branches.
Each petal is a cartouche that was made in repoussé before being gilded and very finely chiseled with motifs of peonies and pairs of birds. This illustration is perhaps more decorative than symbolic although the repetition of the eight is certainly not a coincidence. The shape of the petals takes into account the curvature of the wall, more flared at the bottom.
This piece was made with a thick silver sheet rounded on a mould. It is a feat with regard to the regularity of its repoussé. The experts observed two tiny reworks made by the artist to correct the hammering.
These extremely rare bowls are also known in pure gold and pure silver. This type did not survive the Tang, probably because of the development of the porcelain.
On September 12 in #NewYork our Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver sale will take place. Comprised of over 100 exquisite objects the collection, formed by Dr. Johan Carl Kempe, includes gold and silver works from the Tang period #AsianArtWeek https://t.co/Qt2FX4BOnJ pic.twitter.com/oZwbgmOVLB
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) September 5, 2019
2
Tang Gilt Silver Bowl
2008 SOLD for £ 1.6M by Sotheby's
In the same sale as above by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008 and coming from the same collection, a lobed bowl of similar diameter and technology was sold for £ 1.6M from a lower estimate of £ 300K, lot 64. This piece has retained its original cover. Its foliated iconography is less dense.
Other Tang pieces in the same sale included a lobed silver bowl, lot 48, and a parcel gilt silver bowl, lot 74, both sold for £ 450K.
A richly decorated silver bowl from Tang period around 700 CE was sold for £ 450K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 44, and for $ 1.1M by Christie's on September 23, 2021, lot 709.
This piece 16.5 cm in diameter is weighing 333 g. Its base is flat. It is very finely chiseled and engraved of circular narrow bands in patterns of scrolls, leaves, palmettes and volutes. The central band is made of peach shaped medallions, each one enclosing a highly recognizable animal in a variety of species and attitudes, including an elephant, a camel, boars, foxes and wolves. A band below the rim displays birds flying between pairs and blossoms.
The craft is much refined and meticulously finished. The bowl was made from a single piece of silver shaped on a mould, probably in wood. The blank interior was covered by another layer of silver for canceling the traces of the workmanship of the exterior wall. This layer was folded and hammered across the rim.
Similar exquisite bowls have been found in a hoard of silver and gold vessels excavated in 1970 near current day Xi'an, the starting point of the Silk Road and one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals.
Tang silver dishes centered with the realistic figure of an animal are typical of the Sassanian influence. The animal is in repoussé parcel gilt.
A rhinoceros dish 15 cm in diameter weighing 315 g was sold by Sotheby's for £ 390K on May 14, 2008, lot 59, and for $ 1.05M by Christie's on September 23, 2021, lot 708.
Still extant in Southern China at the time of the Tang, the rhino was considered as a mythic beast in the North. This one is standing on its four legs and bears three giant flowers on its back. It looks accurate including the normal three toes per foot and two horns, excepted that the stout body is covered with cloud shaped scales.
This dish with the rhino facing left had a pendant : a dish with the same beast facing right, carrying the same load of flowers. In a lesser condition, it was sold for £ 170K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 60.
Other Tang pieces in the same sale included a lobed silver bowl, lot 48, and a parcel gilt silver bowl, lot 74, both sold for £ 450K.
A richly decorated silver bowl from Tang period around 700 CE was sold for £ 450K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 44, and for $ 1.1M by Christie's on September 23, 2021, lot 709.
This piece 16.5 cm in diameter is weighing 333 g. Its base is flat. It is very finely chiseled and engraved of circular narrow bands in patterns of scrolls, leaves, palmettes and volutes. The central band is made of peach shaped medallions, each one enclosing a highly recognizable animal in a variety of species and attitudes, including an elephant, a camel, boars, foxes and wolves. A band below the rim displays birds flying between pairs and blossoms.
The craft is much refined and meticulously finished. The bowl was made from a single piece of silver shaped on a mould, probably in wood. The blank interior was covered by another layer of silver for canceling the traces of the workmanship of the exterior wall. This layer was folded and hammered across the rim.
Similar exquisite bowls have been found in a hoard of silver and gold vessels excavated in 1970 near current day Xi'an, the starting point of the Silk Road and one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals.
Tang silver dishes centered with the realistic figure of an animal are typical of the Sassanian influence. The animal is in repoussé parcel gilt.
A rhinoceros dish 15 cm in diameter weighing 315 g was sold by Sotheby's for £ 390K on May 14, 2008, lot 59, and for $ 1.05M by Christie's on September 23, 2021, lot 708.
Still extant in Southern China at the time of the Tang, the rhino was considered as a mythic beast in the North. This one is standing on its four legs and bears three giant flowers on its back. It looks accurate including the normal three toes per foot and two horns, excepted that the stout body is covered with cloud shaped scales.
This dish with the rhino facing left had a pendant : a dish with the same beast facing right, carrying the same load of flowers. In a lesser condition, it was sold for £ 170K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 60.
3
Chinese or Mongol Gold Cup
2019 SOLD for $ 2.54M by Christie's
A gold cup on a small pedestal was sold for £ 690K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 104, and for $ 2.54M by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 571.
It is titled to the Yuan dynasty in Christie's catalogue. Other cups or bowls in a similar style in gold or silver are dated from the Song dynasty, the Jin dynasty or the Song-Yuan transition. It had been considered as Song in Sotheby's catalogue. Its loose ring is typical of the Mongol practice to hang utensils to the belt, and an origin from the Xixia dynasty is supported by some of the decorative details.
This 11.2 cm wide cup is weighing 72 g. It is finely chased in its shallow interior with peony blossoms surrounded by scrolling stems and below its external rim with a narrow upper band of scrolls.
The handle is made with two gold sheets in repoussé featuring a dragon's head suspending the ring from its clenched jaws.
A Song gold dish without pedestal and handle but also with a central peony decoration was sold for £ 410K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 106. Another one 15.6 cm in diameter weighing 120 g, Song or Yuan, was sold for £ 265K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 102, and for $ 590K by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 572.
It is titled to the Yuan dynasty in Christie's catalogue. Other cups or bowls in a similar style in gold or silver are dated from the Song dynasty, the Jin dynasty or the Song-Yuan transition. It had been considered as Song in Sotheby's catalogue. Its loose ring is typical of the Mongol practice to hang utensils to the belt, and an origin from the Xixia dynasty is supported by some of the decorative details.
This 11.2 cm wide cup is weighing 72 g. It is finely chased in its shallow interior with peony blossoms surrounded by scrolling stems and below its external rim with a narrow upper band of scrolls.
The handle is made with two gold sheets in repoussé featuring a dragon's head suspending the ring from its clenched jaws.
A Song gold dish without pedestal and handle but also with a central peony decoration was sold for £ 410K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 106. Another one 15.6 cm in diameter weighing 120 g, Song or Yuan, was sold for £ 265K by Sotheby's on May 14, 2008, lot 102, and for $ 590K by Christie's on September 12, 2019, lot 572.
1580-1650 The Orpheus Cup
2016 SOLD for £ 1.06M by Sotheby's
Baron Lionel de Rothschild reveals an extravagant piece of luxury silverware at the London World Exhibition in 1862. This enameled gold cup that has no known history had probably been collected by his grandfather. It is identified as the Orpheus Cup. It is made of three parts : cover, bowl and stem, for an overall 18 cm high.
The cover sculpted in the round (en ronde bosse) is a burgeoning scene on the theme of Mount Parnassus, dominated by Diane and Orpheus and supplemented by putti and animals charmed by the lyre of the musician. The stem shows Atlas kneeling on a mound inhabited by reptiles. In between, the two sides of the bowl are decorated in an enamel paint, respectively with a scene from Ovid and a hunting scene.
According to the sensitivity of the mid-nineteenth century, this cup should be attributed to Benvenuto Cellini with several arguments : the mythology, the extreme density of the characters, the use of enamel on gold. Shortly after the Exhibition, Baron Lionel waives this attribution.
The habit of melting the old silverware leaves very few comparative elements to define the place and date of its creation and even its original use. A similarity appears however with a cup without lid preserved in the Rijksmuseum : the figure of Orpheus constituting the stem and the animals and putti surrounding the poet have probably the same origin as the corresponding elements of the Orpheus Cup.
The solution to this mystery is not found but will come from the new assumption that the three parts are composite, which is quite plausible for a piece of silverware.
A mark on another enameled bowl that also offers some similarities leads to an origin in Augsburg in the mid seventeenth century, a period consistent with the iconography of the bowl but too recent for the ronde bosse. It is possible that a South German craftsman had gathered the current cover and stem of the Orpheus Cup along with the current stem of the Rijksmuseum cup and assembled the two bowls around 1650 with these elements made circa 1580 by one of his predecessors.
The Rothschild Orpheus Cup was sold for £ 1.06M from a lower estimate of £ 600K by Sotheby's on July 6, 2016, lot 8.
The cover sculpted in the round (en ronde bosse) is a burgeoning scene on the theme of Mount Parnassus, dominated by Diane and Orpheus and supplemented by putti and animals charmed by the lyre of the musician. The stem shows Atlas kneeling on a mound inhabited by reptiles. In between, the two sides of the bowl are decorated in an enamel paint, respectively with a scene from Ovid and a hunting scene.
According to the sensitivity of the mid-nineteenth century, this cup should be attributed to Benvenuto Cellini with several arguments : the mythology, the extreme density of the characters, the use of enamel on gold. Shortly after the Exhibition, Baron Lionel waives this attribution.
The habit of melting the old silverware leaves very few comparative elements to define the place and date of its creation and even its original use. A similarity appears however with a cup without lid preserved in the Rijksmuseum : the figure of Orpheus constituting the stem and the animals and putti surrounding the poet have probably the same origin as the corresponding elements of the Orpheus Cup.
The solution to this mystery is not found but will come from the new assumption that the three parts are composite, which is quite plausible for a piece of silverware.
A mark on another enameled bowl that also offers some similarities leads to an origin in Augsburg in the mid seventeenth century, a period consistent with the iconography of the bowl but too recent for the ronde bosse. It is possible that a South German craftsman had gathered the current cover and stem of the Orpheus Cup along with the current stem of the Rijksmuseum cup and assembled the two bowls around 1650 with these elements made circa 1580 by one of his predecessors.
The Rothschild Orpheus Cup was sold for £ 1.06M from a lower estimate of £ 600K by Sotheby's on July 6, 2016, lot 8.
Discover the mysterious 400-year-old Orpheus cup in our London galleries til Wed. #Treasureshttps://t.co/LDvtPddr4n pic.twitter.com/j1jvx67ke4
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) July 3, 2016
1587-1599 Aldobrandini Tazza
Intro
A set of 12 silver tazze in the theme of the twelve Caesars had been early separated in two sets of six, acquired in 1599 and 1602 by Cardinal Aldobrandini, a nephew of the reigning Pope Clement VIII.
Each element is a standing cup in shallow tazza shape. The surface is chased with four scenes of the life of the relevant emperor taken from the stories by Suetonius. The cup is centered with a full length standing figure of the emperor. The piece is around 40 cm high overall and 37 cm in diameter.
The pre-1599 history was not documented. The 34 kg silver set was certainly commissioned by one of the wealthiest and most powerful persons in the world. A recent hypothesis points to the Habsburg fancy to represent family members as Roman emperors, starting with the Holy Roman emperor Charles V. A comparison with period images brings a terminus post quem in 1587. The set could have been transferred to Italy through a diplomatic presentation.
The imperial figure is detachable. Only two pairings remain after the collection was dispersed by a new owner after an auction in 1861. At that time the subtle interpretations of Suetonius by 16th century image makers had fallen into oblivion. The gilding over the white silver had been made just before the dispersion.
Claudius is the only example compliant with the full original configuration. The Titus figurine is not located while no other figurine and bowl is missing. Six original bases have been replaced with more elaborate elements by a Parisian dealer.
Each element is a standing cup in shallow tazza shape. The surface is chased with four scenes of the life of the relevant emperor taken from the stories by Suetonius. The cup is centered with a full length standing figure of the emperor. The piece is around 40 cm high overall and 37 cm in diameter.
The pre-1599 history was not documented. The 34 kg silver set was certainly commissioned by one of the wealthiest and most powerful persons in the world. A recent hypothesis points to the Habsburg fancy to represent family members as Roman emperors, starting with the Holy Roman emperor Charles V. A comparison with period images brings a terminus post quem in 1587. The set could have been transferred to Italy through a diplomatic presentation.
The imperial figure is detachable. Only two pairings remain after the collection was dispersed by a new owner after an auction in 1861. At that time the subtle interpretations of Suetonius by 16th century image makers had fallen into oblivion. The gilding over the white silver had been made just before the dispersion.
Claudius is the only example compliant with the full original configuration. The Titus figurine is not located while no other figurine and bowl is missing. Six original bases have been replaced with more elaborate elements by a Parisian dealer.
1
Vespasian
2013 SOLD for $ 1.43M by Sotheby's
The Vespasian tazza was sold for $ 1.43M from a lower estimate of $ 400K by Sotheby's on February 1, 2013, lot 10. The bowl and figurine feature the emperor Vespasian but the foot is later, leaving Claudius the only example remaining in its full original configuration.
2
Nero and Augustus
2000 SOLD for £ 1.05M by Christie's
Many tazze have been mismatched, because the figurine is detachable.
The example with the figurine of Nero and the dish of Augustus was sold for £ 1.05M by Christie's on July 5, 2000, lot 18. It passed at Christie's on February 6, 2025, lot 14.
The example with the figurine of Nero and the dish of Augustus was sold for £ 1.05M by Christie's on July 5, 2000, lot 18. It passed at Christie's on February 6, 2025, lot 14.
A specialist’s look inside the silver collection of Selim and Mary Zilkha, where every object is bursting with character.
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) January 25, 2025
Christie’s silver specialist Jill Waddell tells the fascinating stories behind these kunstkammer marvels, from a 14th-century beaker to a full set of… pic.twitter.com/pSuTzZNVoG
Nautilus Cup
Intro
A new form of collection started in 1587 when a Kunstkammer was assembled for Christian, the new Saxon elector. Devoted to natural history, it was conceived to gather sculptures, paintings and "curious items" such as antlers, horns, claws, feathers, shells, coral, pearls, minerals, rock crystals and ostrich eggs. They are referred as cabinets of curiosities.
The craze soon reached Netherlands, Prague, and England slightly later. That sudden fashion for the exotics is contemporary to the great explorations of the seas and to the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and Emperor Rudolf II. The collected objects were often featured in still life paintings, the genre invented with bouquets by Jan Brueghel in 1606 in Antwerp. The Dutch tulip mania crisis of 1634-1637 comes in the follow.
A cup and its cover mounted in gilt in 1590 by the London goldsmith John Spilman on an ostrich egg, accompanied by a 17th century Dutch still life painting displaying it, was sold for £ 580K by Christie's on November 25, 2008, lot 55. It is 32 cm high overall. Mounted ostrich eggs were once called the "Gryphon eggs".
The craze soon reached Netherlands, Prague, and England slightly later. That sudden fashion for the exotics is contemporary to the great explorations of the seas and to the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and Emperor Rudolf II. The collected objects were often featured in still life paintings, the genre invented with bouquets by Jan Brueghel in 1606 in Antwerp. The Dutch tulip mania crisis of 1634-1637 comes in the follow.
A cup and its cover mounted in gilt in 1590 by the London goldsmith John Spilman on an ostrich egg, accompanied by a 17th century Dutch still life painting displaying it, was sold for £ 580K by Christie's on November 25, 2008, lot 55. It is 32 cm high overall. Mounted ostrich eggs were once called the "Gryphon eggs".
1
1607 by van der Burch in Delft
2023 SOLD for $ 1.5M by Christie's
Nautilus shells from the Western Pacific were brought in an increased quantity to Amsterdam by the Dutch East India Company established in 1602, but some silver mounted pieces were already made in Delft in the previous two or three decades. Most of them were mounted as a goblet with a flaring engraved rim facing upwards. Often the outer layer of the shell was stripped away to reveal the pearly surface beneath.
A silver gilt mounted nautilus cup bears the under rim mark of Cornelis Jansz van der Burch in Delft in 1607. It was sold for $ 1.5M from a lower estimate of $ 100K by Christie's on October 11, 2023, lot 20 in the sale of a Rothschild collection. It is 34 cm high and weighs 735 g. Another example by the same maker is dated 1600.
The Mannerist silver figures include chased sea monsters in a wavy ground on the domed foot, the profile of a soldier on the rim, a grotesque feline mask with wide open jaws on the finial topped by a standing female Nike, and various decorations of scrolls, foliage and birds.
A silver gilt mounted nautilus cup bears the under rim mark of Cornelis Jansz van der Burch in Delft in 1607. It was sold for $ 1.5M from a lower estimate of $ 100K by Christie's on October 11, 2023, lot 20 in the sale of a Rothschild collection. It is 34 cm high and weighs 735 g. Another example by the same maker is dated 1600.
The Mannerist silver figures include chased sea monsters in a wavy ground on the domed foot, the profile of a soldier on the rim, a grotesque feline mask with wide open jaws on the finial topped by a standing female Nike, and various decorations of scrolls, foliage and birds.
2
1628 by de Grebber in Amsterdam
2021 SOLD for £ 1.77M by Sotheby's
A silver gilt mounted nautilus cup with the mark on the mount of Jacob Claesz de Grebber in Amsterdam in 1628 was sold for £ 1.77M from a lower estimate of £ 400K by Sotheby's on December 7, 2021, lot 16. It is 40.5 cm high and weighs 1,444 g. The shell has been replaced.
Its Mannerist theme in silver is the triumph of the Sea, including Neptune's bulls fitted on the domed base, chased dolphins, a centaur holding a fish and carrying a woman, and Neptune with his trident riding a winged sea horse on the cover with finial.
Such a marine themed nautilus cup model had been offered in Delft from 1592 by the family of the artist, including an example made also in 1628 by his brother.
A still life painted ca 1640 probably by Willem Claesz Heda and centered with that highly recognizable cup model is kept at the National Galery in London. It includes other items by the same silversmith and was certainly commissioned by the owner of the cup.
Its Mannerist theme in silver is the triumph of the Sea, including Neptune's bulls fitted on the domed base, chased dolphins, a centaur holding a fish and carrying a woman, and Neptune with his trident riding a winged sea horse on the cover with finial.
Such a marine themed nautilus cup model had been offered in Delft from 1592 by the family of the artist, including an example made also in 1628 by his brother.
A still life painted ca 1640 probably by Willem Claesz Heda and centered with that highly recognizable cup model is kept at the National Galery in London. It includes other items by the same silversmith and was certainly commissioned by the owner of the cup.
1619 Ewer by Adam van Vianen
2018 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Christie's
The Union of Utrecht gathers in 1579 the seven Protestant provinces of the northern Netherlands decided for a republican split against Spain. This region becomes extremely wealthy through the international trade of its harbors.
Sons of a silversmith in Utrecht, Adam and Paulus van Vianen are artists. Paulus travels and transfers the Dutch taste to Rudolf II in Prague. Adam remains in Utrecht. They create complex shapes by chasing a silver plaque of very high purity, shaping the surface into lobes that have identified their style as "auricular". The figures are modeled on wax.
The covered baluster ewer 23 cm high sold for $ 5.4M by Christie's on April 20, 2018 as lot 21 is dated 1619. It is clearly signed A. DE VIANA rather than stamped with a logo, confirming that Adam claimed the status of an artist.
Beyond a Mannerist accumulation including masks, dolphins, monsters and a beetle apparently without an overall coherence, the main theme of this ewer is the story of Marcus Curtius divided into three large roundels. The van Vianen brothers also used the themes of Mucius Scevola and Horatius Cocles for other pieces in an obvious desire to make a praise of the Republican sacrifice.
One of the greatest admirers and collectors of auricular silverware will be Rembrandt, attesting to the important influence of that style on the decorative art of the Dutch Golden Age.
Sons of a silversmith in Utrecht, Adam and Paulus van Vianen are artists. Paulus travels and transfers the Dutch taste to Rudolf II in Prague. Adam remains in Utrecht. They create complex shapes by chasing a silver plaque of very high purity, shaping the surface into lobes that have identified their style as "auricular". The figures are modeled on wax.
The covered baluster ewer 23 cm high sold for $ 5.4M by Christie's on April 20, 2018 as lot 21 is dated 1619. It is clearly signed A. DE VIANA rather than stamped with a logo, confirming that Adam claimed the status of an artist.
Beyond a Mannerist accumulation including masks, dolphins, monsters and a beetle apparently without an overall coherence, the main theme of this ewer is the story of Marcus Curtius divided into three large roundels. The van Vianen brothers also used the themes of Mucius Scevola and Horatius Cocles for other pieces in an obvious desire to make a praise of the Republican sacrifice.
One of the greatest admirers and collectors of auricular silverware will be Rembrandt, attesting to the important influence of that style on the decorative art of the Dutch Golden Age.
1639 Inkstand by Christiaen van Vianen
2021 SOLD for £ 1.94M by Christie's
Christiaen van Vianen was the talented son and follower of Adam van Vianen and the nephew of Paul van Vianen who exported their early Baroque style at the court of Prague.
Christiaen made his early career in London. His technique was of chasing silver which he considered as superior to molding and his art was much prized by King Charles I. In the 1640s he had prepared by the engraver Theodor van Kessel a book illustrating the highly original designs of his father.
On July 8, 2021, Christie's sold a inkstand for £ 1.94M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 15. This silver piece is bearing the mark of the assayer Alexander Jackson, London, 1639. This one of a kind masterpiece is 42 cm long, 40 cm wide and 26 cm wide and weighs 5.3 kg. The design and chasing are matching the extreme skills of Christiaen van Vianen.
The front and back compartments have hinged covers and detachable containers including the ink pot and a sander. The walls are intricately chased with allegories of the seven liberal arts and with grotesques and scrolls. The feet are made of reclining leopards and lions in the round. At both ends of the stand, addorsed standing putti are holding a candle socket. Two coats of arms are nearly one century later.
Christiaen made his early career in London. His technique was of chasing silver which he considered as superior to molding and his art was much prized by King Charles I. In the 1640s he had prepared by the engraver Theodor van Kessel a book illustrating the highly original designs of his father.
On July 8, 2021, Christie's sold a inkstand for £ 1.94M from a lower estimate of £ 1M, lot 15. This silver piece is bearing the mark of the assayer Alexander Jackson, London, 1639. This one of a kind masterpiece is 42 cm long, 40 cm wide and 26 cm wide and weighs 5.3 kg. The design and chasing are matching the extreme skills of Christiaen van Vianen.
The front and back compartments have hinged covers and detachable containers including the ink pot and a sander. The walls are intricately chased with allegories of the seven liberal arts and with grotesques and scrolls. The feet are made of reclining leopards and lions in the round. At both ends of the stand, addorsed standing putti are holding a candle socket. Two coats of arms are nearly one century later.
#AuctionUpdate An incredibly rare silver inkstand designed by King Charles I's silversmith, Christian van Vianen, realised £1,942,500 in The Exceptional Sale: https://t.co/NwqwsKsylx □ pic.twitter.com/hOow9TEzzA
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 8, 2021
