Tankard
Unknown
Category
Silver
Date
1660 - 1900
Materials
Silver and shell
Measurements
243 x 160 x 110 mm
Place of origin
Germany ?
Order this imageCollection
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
NT 516434.1
Summary
One of a pair of ostrich egg tankards mounted in silver-gilt, unmarked, possibly with later additions and alterations; the silver-gilt feet are probably from north Germany, possibly Hamburg, circa 1670; the date and place of manufacture of the straps, finials, handles and thumbpieces are unknown, but may be from Germany, the Netherlands or England. The ostrich egg tankard stands on a narrow foot ring soldered to a raised octofoil base, which is stepped and embossed with a border of acanthus leaves. The egg sits on an undecorated spool-shaped stem applied with a narrow border of wavy clasps. Hinges for the four straps are soldered to the mounts on both the foot and rim. The straps are finely embossed and chased with acanthus leaves. The rim of the body has a moulded border applied with a border of wavy clasps pierced with dots and engraved with a fringe. The body of the egg is not lined. The cover has a silver-gilt liner which is held on the inside by the moulded rim mount, and on the outside by a border of clasps, which are similar but more pointed than those on the body. Soldered to the cover’s mount is a narrow flange. The straps which cross over the cover are embossed with acanthus leaves to match those on the body. On top of the cover is a finial cast in the form of a squirrel, which is attached by a screw which pierces the shell and its liner and is held by a hemi-spherical nut. The bifurcated scroll thumbpiece is surmounted by a small cast frog which sits just above the prominent hinge. The S-shaped scroll handle is cast in the auricular style.
Full description
For further details see master object entry.
Provenance
David Black of 1 Burlington Gardens, London W1, sold the tankards to Lord Fairhaven on 14 November 1946 for £375, Invoice 2863, stating ‘from the Rothschild collection’ (Urban) Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Baron Fairhaven (1896-1966) bequeathed by Lord Fairhaven to the National Trust along with the house and the rest of the contents National Trust
Credit line
Anglesey Abbey, the Fairhaven Collection (National Trust)
Marks and inscriptions
On the underside of the foot: Scratch weight: ‘23:10’ Troy oz and pennyweights On the underside of the foot : Possibly collection number: ‘Nᵒ 9’ and ‘37’. On the underside of the foot : Old NT inventory number: AA/S/43 On the underside of the foot: Current NT inventory number: 516434.1
Makers and roles
Unknown, goldsmith