A Pair Of Gothic-Revival Gilt Bronze Sideboard Dishes, Circa 1850

Collection of Nicolas Landau

With Galerie Kugel, Paris

The arms are those of Trench quartering Segar and others for General Sir Frederick William Trench, K.C.H. (1775-1859), an M.P. for various constituencies between 1806 and 1847, who has been described as ‘a verbose and egregious Irishman.’ He was the elder son of Michael Frederick Trench (1746-1836) of Heywood, Queen’s Co., a barrister and amateur architect, by his wife, Anne Helena (1741-1836), daughter and heiress of Patrick Stewart of Killymoon, co. Tyrone. This branch of the Trench family descended from a common ancestor with the Earl of Clancarty.

As a soldier Trench served in Cadiz in 1811 and Holland in 1814, was A.D.C. to the King in 1825, appointed Storekeeper of the Ordinance in 1829, was knighted in 1832 and promoted general in 1846. He proposed a number of improvements for London including the Embankment, which was accepted and completed five years after his death, which occurred at 81 Marine Parade, Brighton, Sussex on 6 December 1859.

The design of these dishes, inspired by 16^th century German prototypes, is similar to the parcel-gilt silver dish designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852) and made by John Hardman & Co., Birmingham, 1847. This dish, which is inscribed, ‘+Henry Benson+Esquire+from his grateful friend A+W+Pugin+March XXVI+A+D+MDCCCXLVIII,’ was given to the Victoria and Albert Museum in memory of Lavinia and Charles Handley-Read (Accession number M.23-1972).