- 463
Pair of American silver presentation ewers of Charleston interest, Samuel Kirk, Baltimore, MD, dated 1845
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- marked underneath bases
- silver
- heights approx. 18 3/4 in.
- 47.6 cm
of baluster form, chased and embossed with flowers and foliage on matted ground, sides elaborately chased with idyllic village scenes, one including figures, fronts engraved with arms, base rims engraved with presentation inscription, angular ram's head handles
Condition
one with repair where upper handle terminal meets body, otherwise good condition, crisp
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The inscriptions read "Presented to William Ogilby, Esq. H.B.M.C. by the Citizens of Charleston, South Carolina, 1845." These ewers are en suite with a pair of 17-inch Kirk salvers with the same inscription, sold from the collection of Roy and Ruth Nutt, Sotheby's New York, January 24, 2015, lot 385. William Ogilby was born in Ireland in 1783. He served as Vice-Consul at Caen, France from 1826 to 1829, then was posted to Charleston in late 1829 or early 1830.
His diary of about 1830 is at the South Carolina Historical Society, and records events such as a hurricane in August, of that year, when he thought his "house would come down about [his] ears." In his official capacity he produced reports on shipping, immigration, poor relief, and cotton and rice production, and handled the imprisonment of free British subjects of color who arrived in South Carolina ports. In 1833 he observed that the citizens were arming themselves and discussing nullification, and he worried that an attack on Federal installations might be imminent.
In the early 1840s, Ogilby was writing to London about the controversy over the accession of Texas as a slave state, and his worries that Secretary of State John C. Calhoun – whom he met in Charleston - would pursue this “even to the length of a division [of the republic];” he also suspected Southern politicians of fanning anger against the abolitionist British government. In lighter moments, he sent local species to the Zoological Society in London: seven living Water-tortoises in 1841, and a Virginia opossum in 1844. By 1845, though, he requested retirement on account of ill-health, after 23 years of service.
His diary of about 1830 is at the South Carolina Historical Society, and records events such as a hurricane in August, of that year, when he thought his "house would come down about [his] ears." In his official capacity he produced reports on shipping, immigration, poor relief, and cotton and rice production, and handled the imprisonment of free British subjects of color who arrived in South Carolina ports. In 1833 he observed that the citizens were arming themselves and discussing nullification, and he worried that an attack on Federal installations might be imminent.
In the early 1840s, Ogilby was writing to London about the controversy over the accession of Texas as a slave state, and his worries that Secretary of State John C. Calhoun – whom he met in Charleston - would pursue this “even to the length of a division [of the republic];” he also suspected Southern politicians of fanning anger against the abolitionist British government. In lighter moments, he sent local species to the Zoological Society in London: seven living Water-tortoises in 1841, and a Virginia opossum in 1844. By 1845, though, he requested retirement on account of ill-health, after 23 years of service.