An English Silver-Mounted Coconut Wedding Cup, Robert Hennell, London, 1864
Auction Closed
December 14, 05:23 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
chased with grapevine on the cover, straps, and base, the cover with a chased leaf finial, the nut carved with two marriage scenes and a view of Jerusalem, the lid with a Hebrew wedding inscription (Jeremiah 33:11), marked below rim, on each strap, foot, finial, and the inside disk, some marks removed
Height: 10 in., 25 cm
In fitted leather case stamped Hunt & Roskell, Jewelers & Goldsmiths to the Queen & Royal Family.
On the lid: “The sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride” (Jer. 33:11).
Above the image of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, hills enfold it” (Ps. 125:2).
The marriage scene is based on the wedding image in a Dutch edition of a 17th century Italian tract. The tract is titled Kerk-zeeden…de Jooden and was written in 1693 in Amsterdam by Leone de Modena, a Venetian Rabbi involved in both Jewish and Christian spheres, who attempted to explain Jewish customs to a non-Jewish audience. The view of Jerusalem is based on the printer’s mark of Marco Antonio Giustiani, and it was stamped on the title page of Hebrew books he published in Venice between 1545-52. Like the carving on this coconut cup, his mark depicts the Temple in Jerusalem as the Dome of the Rock.
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