A rare American silver tankard, Koenraet Ten Eyck, Albany, NY, circa 1710

with cut-card foliate and meander wire base bands, the front engraved W/EE in script, the flat top cover with shaped lip, inset coin, and corkscrew thumbpiece, the handle with applied lion rampant and cherub's head terminal and engraved with block initials E*L

Evert (1681-1750) and Engeltje (Lansing) Wendell (1690-1769), and by descent;
Estate of Philip Wendell Birdseye, 1962
Mr. and Mrs. Ledyard Cogswell, Albany, NY

Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany Silver, 1652-1825, March 15- May 1, 1964

Norman Rice, Albany Silver, 1652-1825, 1964, p. 19, fig. 9

patch repair and some stabilized splits inside cover where thumbpiece reattached and some excess solder to cover exterior; repair to lower handle terminal; small hammer marks to base where a dent was pushed out; cover with lip dented down slightly; minor dings and shallow creases throughout; however, a good example of an early NY tankard
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The initials on the front of the tankard are those of Evert and Engeltje (Lansing) Wendell who were married in 1710. The initials on the handle are for Engeltje Lansing. Engeltje was daughter of Albany trader Jan Lansing and Geertruy Van Schaick Coster. Evert was son of shoemaker and trader Jeronimus Wendell and Ariantie Visscher. After his father died in 1690, Evert continued his work in the Albany frontier, trading with the Native Americans and settlers. By 1703, he had begun working as an attorney, and in 1712 was elected to the Albany Common council serving as assistant alderman for the first ward. Between 1711 and 1734, he and Engeltje had ten children together, five of whom survived into adulthood.

This tankard is one of the few extant pieces by Koenraet Ten Eyck, one of the earliest known silversmiths working in Albany between 1678 and 1753. It is likely that he apprenticed in New York City, as his work features distinctive New York characteristics, many of which can be found on this tankard: the applied lion and cherub on the handle, the cut-card and meander wire around the base, and the inset coin in the cover. The coin is a silver half écu from the Paris mint and dates from 1690-93. Ten Eyck married Geertje Van Schaik in 1704, and two of their sons, Jacob and Barent, also became silversmiths.

There are only sixteen other known objects by Koenraet Ten Eyck, including two other tankards. The first was made for Johannes Henricus Lidius, a prominent Albany fur-trader, and his French-Indian wife, Genevieve Masse. It is slightly smaller and lacks a coin in the cover. The second was a previously unrecorded tankard that sold Christie's, New York, January 16, 2003, lot 128. Made to commemorate the marriage of Abraham Witbeck of Rensselaerwyck and his wife (H)Anna Van Deusen of Albany in 1728, it is very similar in decoration to the present tankard.