Americana, Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export and Prints
Americana, Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Chinese Export and Prints
Property from the John B. Schorsch Collection
The Order of the Cincinnati: A rare American enameled gold Eagle attributed to Jeremiah Andrews, Philadelphia, 1784-91, Norfolk, VA, 1791-1817
Lot Closed
January 24, 06:23 PM GMT
Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Property from the John B. Schorsch Collection
The Order of the Cincinnati: A rare American enameled gold Eagle
attributed to Jeremiah Andrews, Philadelphia, 1784-91, Norfolk, VA, 1791-1817
Obv. Head left, white enamel head with down-curved beak, red enamel eye, neck with champlevé V lines, seven-feathered tail with one line of V's, the oval medallion with raised scene of three senators presenting a sword to Cincinnatus, wife and child and house behind on blue enamel ground, at the base crossed fronds, all within a gold and white enamel border inscribed OMNIA : RELINQUIT : SERVARE : REMPUBLIUCAM*
Rev. seven tail feathers with two rows of V decoration; raised scene of Cincinnatus with plough, ships and buildings in distance, fame with trumpet flies above all on blue enamel ground, surrounded by the gold and white enamel inscription SOCIETAS : CINCINNATORUM : INSTITUTA : A : D : 1783*
The eagle with chased gold spread wings and green enameled laurel wreath cresting and crossed laurel sprays at base, with small twist loop attached to a larger matching loop to which is attached the blue and white ribbon.
height to top of first loop 1 3/4 in.
4.4 cm
This eagle is very close to the Andrews-Forman Eagle, no. 9 in Minor Myers Jr. The Insignia of theSociety of the Cincinnati, even to the loops for suspension. Myers states that Eagle belonged to Colonel David Forman of New Jersey who died in 1797. He notes a Joseph Wright portrait of Lt. James Giles showing an identical badge. He states that identical badges belonged to Col. Philip van Cortland of New York and Major Joseph Howell of Pennsylvania. In all he identified twelve examples, owned by members from New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Georgia.
Catherine B. Hollan provides the following biographical information on Jeremiah Andrews, “born in England, advertised in 1774 in New York City as a jeweler from London and worked there till 1776. He advertised in Philadelphia in 1778 and offered a large variety of jewelry of his own manufacture (13 April 1779). He made the first American made badges for the Society of the Cincinnati in 1784, selling them to various state societies, and making selling circuits into Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA, and Georgia. He moved to Norfolk, VA where he worked from 1791-1817.” (Philadelphia Silversmiths and Related Artisans to 1861, p. 4.)
More extensive information on the maker can be found in the same author’s Virginia Silversmiths, Jewelers, Clock -and Watchmakers, 1607-1860, pp.23-26. She notes that, following dissatisfaction with the French designed Eagles, voiced by Benjamin Franklin and members of the Pennsylvania Society caused them to approach Andrews in 1784 to made a more realistic Eagle. By December 1784 “ he had compleated a Number of them, which are allowed by many of the Society to be preferable to those imported” He approached George Washington who noted his visit in his diary of Feb 11 1785, apparently without effect.. The Pennsylvania society did commission him to make their badges and he advertised on 17 December 1784 that eagles were available at his Philadelphia shop on Second Street near Market Street and on 4 July 1787 at goldsmith John D. Germon’s shop. He also left some with Isaiah Wagster in Baltimore, Michael Germain in Savannah, Montfort & Lee in Savannah and again at his own shop in Norfolk on 10 September 1791. Hollan states that his eagles were sold for $20 each, less than the French eagles which were sold for $26 in 1784, $27.50 in 1787 and $25 in 1789. Minor Myers adds that the Andrews Eagle was more closely copied by some later makers than the L’Enfant version.