PROPERTY FROM A PRINCELY COLLECTION
A set of three engraved and faceted full-size and two half-size decanters and stoppers, circa 1805
LOT SOLD.
25,000 GBP
Details & Cataloguing
Of Royal and Noble Descent
|
London
London
A set of three engraved and faceted full-size and two half-size decanters and stoppers, circa 1805
each of ovoid shouldered form inscribed with the initial N, in two styles, cut with flutes and facets with two neck rings and an everted rim, the ball stopper faceted overall, 27cm; 10 5/8 in. and 23.5cm; 9 1/4 in. high, together with a cylindrical decanter and stopper with applied partially legible paper label, 21.5cm., 8 1/2 in. high, and additional cut glass stopper
Quantity: 13
Read Condition Report
Read Condition Report
Quantity: 13
Provenance
Vice-Admiral Horatio, Viscount Nelson K.B.;
Catherine Matcham, his sister;
Thence by descent;
London, Sotheby’s, Trafalgar: Nelson and the Napoleonic Wars, 5 October 2005, lot 33;
Where acquired by the owner.
Catherine Matcham, his sister;
Thence by descent;
London, Sotheby’s, Trafalgar: Nelson and the Napoleonic Wars, 5 October 2005, lot 33;
Where acquired by the owner.
Exhibited
Formerly on loan to the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, 1939-1978.
Literature
Rina Prentice, The Authentic Nelson, National Maritime Museum, 2005, p.150, mentioned under the heading 'Decanters and glasses'.
Catalogue Note
LORD NELSON'S GLASS
It is unclear where this service was made but stylistically it bears close similarities to a service purchased in Bristol in 1796 by William Smith of Boston, Massachusetts, illustrated by C. Witt, C. Weeden and A. Schwind, Bristol Glass, Bristol, 1984, p.86.
From the two styles of initial N it would seem that the Nelson Service may have been made in stages. The different initials may suggest replacements added to the service at various stages in Nelson's lifetime. Glasses were often to be seen suspended on trays from a cabin ceiling and used by the officers at formal dinners in an attempt to maintain a certain status and decorum whilst on board ship. For a contemporary example of this see George Cruickshank's view of An Interesting Scene on Board An East Indiaman, Showing the Effects of an Heavy Lurch- After Dinner, 1818. As A. McConnell points out in The Decanter, An illustrated history of glass from 1650, 2004, p.259, pl.365, the only stable element in view is a tray bearing two decanters and a set of glasses hanging from a rope from the ceiling.
A liqueur glass from the service was sold in these rooms, 25th March 1991, lot 114, to the foot of which a paper label had been attached. It was inscribed in ink 'This Glaƒs belonged to the immortal Nelson and was on board the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.' The label was also embossed with a pair of ducal coronets above the title 'Kilure'.
The official Catalogue of the Royal Naval Exhibition 1891, records on pages 315-320 ceramics and glass which were lent for the exhibition; p.320 no. 2936c 'Glass Decanter, Tumbler and Wine Glass, which belonged to Admiral Lord Nelson. Lent by W.Eyre Matcham, Esq.', and 2936d 'Decanter and Wine Glasses used by Admiral Lord Nelson on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar. Lent by General Viscount Bridport, K.C.B.'
It is unclear where this service was made but stylistically it bears close similarities to a service purchased in Bristol in 1796 by William Smith of Boston, Massachusetts, illustrated by C. Witt, C. Weeden and A. Schwind, Bristol Glass, Bristol, 1984, p.86.
From the two styles of initial N it would seem that the Nelson Service may have been made in stages. The different initials may suggest replacements added to the service at various stages in Nelson's lifetime. Glasses were often to be seen suspended on trays from a cabin ceiling and used by the officers at formal dinners in an attempt to maintain a certain status and decorum whilst on board ship. For a contemporary example of this see George Cruickshank's view of An Interesting Scene on Board An East Indiaman, Showing the Effects of an Heavy Lurch- After Dinner, 1818. As A. McConnell points out in The Decanter, An illustrated history of glass from 1650, 2004, p.259, pl.365, the only stable element in view is a tray bearing two decanters and a set of glasses hanging from a rope from the ceiling.
A liqueur glass from the service was sold in these rooms, 25th March 1991, lot 114, to the foot of which a paper label had been attached. It was inscribed in ink 'This Glaƒs belonged to the immortal Nelson and was on board the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.' The label was also embossed with a pair of ducal coronets above the title 'Kilure'.
The official Catalogue of the Royal Naval Exhibition 1891, records on pages 315-320 ceramics and glass which were lent for the exhibition; p.320 no. 2936c 'Glass Decanter, Tumbler and Wine Glass, which belonged to Admiral Lord Nelson. Lent by W.Eyre Matcham, Esq.', and 2936d 'Decanter and Wine Glasses used by Admiral Lord Nelson on the eve of the Battle of Trafalgar. Lent by General Viscount Bridport, K.C.B.'
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