Ruzhnikov - Horses in War & Peace

Horses in War & Peace

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Victorian Silver Centrepiece “Battle of the Boyne” Garrard, London 1862 height 70 cm; length 70 cm; width 56 cm maker’s mark: stamped R. & S. Garrard, Panton St., London Provenance Marquess Conyngham, Slane Castle Bibliography S. Clarke, Great British & Irish Silver, Works of Art, Paintings. Catalogue of acquisitions A magnificent Victorian silver centrepiece commemorating William of Orange’s victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne by Robert Garrard, London. The centrepiece depicts two equestrian figures, the victorious William of Orange, with sword outstretched and an officer, Sir Albert Conyngham, doffing his hat in salute to his monarch whilst in front an artillery gunner attends to a barrel of cannon balls beside his cannon, all on a simulated grassy mound, the ebonised base affixed with two silver plaques, one depicting the Boyne Obelisk, the other depicting the defeated and dismounted James II being assisted by one of his soldiers whilst a groom secures his horse, either side with applied and cutout arms of Conyngham flanked by a horse and a stag.

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Commissioned by the Conyngham family of the Slane Castle to acknowledge the family’s involvement in the battle, Sir Albert, pictured on the centrepiece, raised a regiment of Dragoons for William and played an important part in the battle. Slane Castle, where this centrepiece would have once resided, was the family home of the Conynghams since 1701 and the river Boyne flows below the castle.

The Boyne Obelisk, featured on one of the plaques, was a monument to the battle of the Boyne, erected in 1736.

The Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690 between the English king, James II and his nephew the Dutch prince, William of Orange who was married to James’s daughter, Mary. Together William and Mary had overthrown James in 1688 and taken the English throne. The battle took place across the river Boyne near the town of Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland. William’s defeat of James sealed the latter’s failure to retake his throne and ensured the continued Protestant ascendancy in Ireland. To this day the Protestant Orange Order commemorates the battle in Northern Ireland and it is a constant source of sectarian tension between Ulster’s Protestants and Catholics.

For the Jacobite supporters of James II the battle was part of a war fought for religious tolerance of Catholicism and disputed land ownership for the Catholic upper classes who had lost most of their land under Oliver Cromwell’s brutal conquest of Ireland in the mid-17th century and a desire for Irish autonomy which they believed James supported. For William and the Protestant cause the war was about maintaining their rule in Ireland.

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By 1802 Robert Garrard was in sole control of the firm of John Wakelin and William Taylor that he had bought into on the latter’s death in 1792. Later, with his sons the firm became R. J & S. Garrard and then later still R. & S. Garrard. In 1843 Garrard was appointed Crown Jeweller to Queen Victoria and became responsible for the upkeep of the Crown Jewels. In 1848 the firm produced the America’s Cup, the oldest international sporting trophy.

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Victorian Silver Trophy Modelled as a Racehorse ‘The Goodwood Cup 1860’ Robert Garrard II, London designed by Edmund Cotterill 1860 height: 58 cm (83.5 cm overall height with the plinth); length: 71 cm; weight: 9,3 kg maker’s mark: RG in script under a crown mark of Robert Garrard II sterling silver mark assay date 1860 assay mark of London Provenance Won by William, 4th Earl of Annesley’s Sweetsauce at the Goodwood Cup run on 4 August 1860 William, 4th Earl of Annesley (1830-1874).

Literature The Illustrated London News, ‘The Goodwood Cups’, 4 August 1860, p. 107, illustrated.

Realistically modelled silver figure of a racehorse on textured base. The trophy was presented to the winner of the Goodwood Cup of 1860, the racehorse «Sweetsauce».

The piece was designed by Edmund Cotterill (1795-1860), head of the design studio at Garrards from 1833. Cotterill was responsible for a number of ambitious sculptural groups including the Emperor’s Plate each year from 1849 through 1852.

In 1840, Prince Albert commissioned Cotterill to make a model of his greyhound Eos. In 1842-3 the model was used to make a centrepiece now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Many of Cotterills designs incorporated horses, which he excelled at modelling.

The Illustrated London News, writes that the present lot was the last work executed

by Cotterill who ‘was unrivalled as a modeller of horses’ (vol. 37, 4 August 1860, p. 107). It describes the cup as ‘a finely-chased model of a thoroughbred horse, eighteen inches in height to the withers, independent of the ground and pedestal on which it is mounted.’

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Edmund Cotterill The Alhambra table fountain 1852-53 Royal Collection Trust/Š Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

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Victorian Silver Equestrian Sculpture of William I Hunt & Roskell, London 1861 length: 54 cm; height: 57 cm; weight: approximately 10,6 kg maker’s mark: ISH into a shield under a crown for Hunt & Roskell sterling silver mark assay date 1861 assay mark of London

The equestrian silver sculpture represents William I, Prince of Orange (1533-1584), the founder and liberator of The Netherlands. William I, also known as William the Silent, is considered a key figure in the transition of the provinces to the modern nation of the Netherlands.

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It is a scaled-down reproduction, in pure silver, of the famous statue that currently stands in the courtyard of the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

This sculpture was produced by Hunt & Roskell, a firm of silversmiths and jewellers to Queen Victoria based in Bond Street, London. It was designed by the French sculptor Count Émilien de Nieuwerkerke (1811-1891) after the statue in The Hague. Another bronze version of the original work, cast by Eck et Durand, is held in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe Museum in Karlsruhe, Germany.

This impressive sculpture reflects the pivotal role that William I, who led the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs. Born to a noble family of German Protestants, William converted to Roman Catholicism as a youth as a condition for inheriting the title of Prince of Orange. William became close to the Habsburg family and served them as a member of the court of Margaret of Parma, governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Charles V was fond of William, and in 1555 made him the commander of his troops stationed on the Empire’s border with France.

When Charles V abdicated, his son, Philip II, became King of Spain. Philip II was concerned about the spread of Protestantism in the Low Countries, and determined to eradicate it using force. William, who was unhappy with Phillip’s persecution of Dutch Protestants and the centralisation of power towards Spain, turned against his former masters. He re-converted to Protestantism and, in 1568, led a rebellion against Philip II. William’s nickname, William the Silent, describes his reputation as a taciturn and cautious individual. However, he proved highly determined in battle, and led the Dutch to several successes in the fight against the Spanish. Declared an outlaw by Philip II in 1580, William was assassinated in Delft in 1584. Despite his death, he succeeded in his aim of founding a free and independent Dutch republic.

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Silver Sculpture of Two Horses circa 1870-1880 height 35.5 cm, length 62 cm; weight 8,7 kg

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Naturalistically modelled solid silver presentation sculpture. The sculpture was a Royal gift from princess Marie of Hohenzollern, Countess of Flanders, to her husband, Prince Philippe of Belgium. The base is inscribed: Offert par S.A.R. Madame La Comtesse de Flandre aux Officiers du 2e RĂŠgiment de Dragons Hanovriens No. 16 en Souvenir de S.A.R. le Comte de Flandre, Chef du RĂŠgiment.

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Buzkashi Franz Roubaud (1856 – 1928) 1889 oil on canvas 120 x 180 cm signed and dated lower left: F Roubaud/1889 Provenance Private collection, USA Buzkashi ranks among the most important paintings by Roubaud in private hands. The large and impressive oil painting is a rare example of the artist’s mature style.

The painting belongs to the key period of the artist’s career. During the late 1880’s - early 1890’s Roubaud created his most accomplished masterpieces, including the famous Caucasus cycle (1885-1893) and its centerpiece The Storm of Achulgo (the Museum of Graphic Arts in Makhachkala, Daghestan). The period was marked by Roubaud’s increased official recognition: he had his first solo exhibitions in St. Petersburg (1898), Paris (1891), and Madrid (1892). In 1890 he was admitted to the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts and gained several prestigious awards.. Most artworks from this period are in museums (The Russian Museum, St.Petersburg; Museum-panorama The Borodino Battle, Moscow; P. S. Gamsatova Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts, Machachkala; A. Tacho Godi Dagestan State Museum, Machachkala; Museum of History of Azerbaijan, Baku).

Buzkashi or kokpar (literally «goat bashing» in Turkic, buz is Turkic for «goat» and kashi means «bashing») is Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to drag a goat carcass toward a goal. Buzkashi is played amongst Kyrgyz, Pashtuns, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Turkmens.

It is widely believed the game was first played in the Oxus basin, now known as the Amu Darya, along a border of Afghanistan. Expert horsemen, the nomads of northern Afghanistan fought Alexander the Great’s triumphant army to a standstill. When the ancient Greeks first saw these formidable horsemen of Central Asia, they believed the legend of the centaur (half horse, half man) had materialized. For any witness of modern Buzkashi, this reaction is easily understood.

Before moving on to India, Alexander replenished his cavalry with this sturdy breed of horse.

Many people associate Buzkashi with the famous Genghis Khan. The Mongol horsemen were adept at advancing swiftly on enemy campsites and, without dismounting, swooping up sheep, goats, and other pillage at a full gallop. One theory is that in retaliation, the inhabitants of northern Afghanistan established a mounted defence against the raids and this practice might be the direct forbearer of today’s Buzkashi. As speculative as this story on the origins of Buzkashi might be, it seems a plausible re-enactment of the campaigns of the great Mongol and his Golden Horde in Asia Minor.

Franz Alexyeevich Roubaud (1856-1928) - famous Russian battle and genre painter. Born in Odessa in 1856 to a Catholic family of French descent. Since 1865, he studied at the Odessa Drawing School, and since 1877 at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts.

Having returned to Russia, Franz Roubaud taught at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St.Petersburg. In 1913 he left Russia and settled in Munich, where he lived for the rest of his life.

The first success came to Roubaud in 1880’s when he painted 18 monumental canvases depicting the conquest of Caucasus by the Russian Empire.

Roubaud is one of the most celebrated Russian battle painters, a master of grandiose size canvases. His most famous works are the Defense of Sebastopol, 1902-1904 and Panorama of the Battle of Borodino, 1912.

Roubaud’s paintings are in the collections of the Pinacotheque Museum in Munich, The State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Russian Museum in St.Petersburg and many others.

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Russian Silver Imperial Presentation Cup and Cover Fabergé, Moscow 1893 height: 43 cm; weight: 3,8 kg stamped with Imperial warrant mark of Fabergé under base assay mark of Moscow, 1893 silver standard: 88 zolotnik Provenance Sale Sotheby’s London, 11 June 2008, lot 440 A silver Imperial presentation cup of urn shape standing on a concave triangular base upheld by three doubleheaded eagles with spread-out wings, each perched on a polished sphere. The cup is chased with tapering flutes at the base and wide band of laurel leaves, it is further set with an applied two-line Cyrillic inscription above and a band of alternating acanthus and anthemion floral design under the lip. The domed cover with tapering flutes surmounted by an Imperial Russian crown. Inscribed in Cyrillic: Imperial Prize / the Moscow Imperial Horse Racing Society A similar Imperial presentation cup was in the Fabergé in America in the Metropolitan Museum in New York in 1996 (Fabergé in America 1996/7, cat.

302, col. ill. p. 279; Wilmington 2000/1, cat. 145, col. ill. p. 101).

Moscow Imperial Horse Riding Society, one of the oldest in Russia, was established in 1834 on the initiative of the Moscow Governor-General His Highness Prince Dmitry Vladimirovich Golitsyn. The history of the Society is closely related to the Imperial family and the higher nobility circles. After Golitsyn, in different years it was headed by Moscow mayor Prince Vladimir Dolgorukov and Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich; the position of treasurer of the society was held for a long time by the son of Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Fyodor Fyodorovich.

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Russian Silver Sculpture of a Horse circa 1880 length: 15.7 cm assay master’s mark: Cyrillic initials S.G. of Semen Gorshkov assay mark of Moscow silver standard: 84 zolotnik

Realistically chased model of a horse galloping on a stippled ground simulating grass. Mounted on a silvergilt base.

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Russian Parcel-Gilt Silver Imperial Presentation Tazza Sazikov, St.Petersburg 1851 height: 29 cm maker’s mark: Imperial Warrant mark of Ignatiy Sazikov; incuse Cyrillic maker’s mark and crowned double-headed eagle Imperial Warrant mark of Sazikov to detachable top maker’s mark: Cyrillic initials I.S. to foot assay master’s mark: Latin initials A.M. of Alexander Nicholayevitch Mitin, 1851 assay mark of St.Petersburg silver standard: 84 zolotnik Parcel-Gilt Silver Presentation Tazza. The detachable parcel-gilt silver top features a border of fruiting vines, and a centre engraved with the Imperial double-headed eagle in roundel with the Russian inscription State Prize for Trotting HorseBreeding Stallions, 1849. The piece was then awarded at a slightly later date as a horse-racing prize and inscribed in Russian with name of winning horse as well as the date of race: “Krolik” (Rabbit in Russian) and “28th February, 1854”. Below this in Russian is the horse’s time in the race: 6 minutes, 1 second. The baluster column and capital is chased and decorated with fruiting vines on a shaped square base raised on four acanthus leaf feet.

The firm of Sazikov was one of the most well-regarded silversmith and jewelry firms of the nineteenth-century Russia and one of the greatest innovators in the field. In 1837 the firm was appointed the official purveyor of silverware to Tsar Nicholas I, in 1844 received the Imperial Warrant. The firm existed until the beginning of 1887, when it was acquired by Khlebnikov.

The firm was famous for its tablewares and objets de vertu in Neo-Russian style. In addition to that, Sazikov’s firm produced figurative, sculptural works, often representing historical themes or genre scenes.

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Russian Silver Imperial Presentation Racing Trophy Odessa 1843 height: 35.6 cm maker’s mark: Cyrillic initials illegible assay master: Cyrillic initials A.Sh. of unidentified master assay mark of Odessa, 1843 silver standard: 84 zolotnik A large silver Imperial presentation racing trophy jug, chased on one side with an equestrian scene, and with the crowned Imperial coat-of-arms and Russian Orthodox cross on the other; the body is profusely chased with Neo-Rococo scrolls, flowers and shells. The double scroll handle has a finial shaped as a figure of a horse issuing from a flower calyx.

A vase with an identical equestrian scene made by A. Lordon is in the State Russian Museum in St.Petersburg (see Treasure Storeroom of the Russian Museum.

Commemorating 100 years of the Museum 1898-1998, St.Petersburg, 1998, No., 191, ill. 178). Another vase also by Lordon has an identical handle (op. cit. fig. 172, cat.

203). These were made in Odessa respectively in 1838 and 1843.

Silver Imperial Presentation Racing Trophy, 1843 A. Lordon State Russian Museum, St.Petersburg

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Victorian Silver Racing Trophy ‘The Queen’s Cup Ascot 1865’ Robert Garrard II, London 1864 height of cup: 58.4cm; weight: 6,6 kg maker’s mark: RG in script under a crown mark of Robert Garrard II sterling silver mark assay date 1864 assay mark of London retailers incuse stamp of R & S Garrard, Panton Street An impressive Victorian silver handwrought and cast presentation Royal Ascot, «Elizabethan» or «Francois Premier» Historicism tankard. The tankard is finely chased with large bosses and geometric strapwork on a frosted ground, the front boss is engraved with an inscription: «The Gift of Her Majesty, The Queen, Ascot 1865».

The piece is mounted by a finely cast finial depicting St.Thomas of Aquitaine on horseback with his page attendant standing by his side bearing a standard.

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The cornucopia handle is issuing out of lion’s mouth, the cup is raised on four cast bulbous cartouche ball feet. The tankard is resting on an octagonal plinth applied with two open-work Royal ciphers of Queen Victoria, and two cartouches engraved as follows: «The Queen’s vase 1865», the other «Won

by Eltham». An illustration for this prize cup appears in the «The London Illustrated News» in June 1865, Vol. XLVI.

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The tankard was presented by Queen Victoria to the winner of the Queen’s Cup competition in Ascot, Eltham, owned by William Robinson, on 13th June 1865. The Queen’s Cup, also known as the Gold Vase, is one of Britain’s most prestigious races founded in 1838. Its original trophy was a gold vase donated

by Queen Victoria.

The Times reported on the race as follows, «Breeze, owned by Baron Rothschild, was first out: Eltham rushed past him and carried on running round the top turn, when Adams indulged him with a pull, and Breeze was, in consequence, left in the lead, which carried on into the Swinley Mile Bottom. On reaching the milepost, the pair closed and raced together to the road, where the Baron’s filly drew slightly away, and came into the straight half a length in advance of the favourite, the pair having the race to themselves at the distance... within a stride or two of the chair (Eltham) came with a rush, and finished a splendid race with a dead heat».

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Victorian Silver Trophy Modelled as a Racehorse 1896 height: 51 cm; length: 61 cm; weight: 7,65 kg assay mark of Birmingham, 1896 base inscribed: ‘ARCTIC PRINCE / Derby 1951 / To Willie Stephenson from Joe McGrath, To commemorate a good job well done’ Provenance Joseph McGrath (1887-1966) William Stephenson (1911-1988), presented in 1951 Realistically cast silver model of a racehorse.

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After Epsom Derby of 1951 the model was presented to William ‘Willie’ Stephenson, the trainer of the Arctic Prince - the winner of the race - by the horse’s owner Joseph McGrath, Irish politician and businessman. The competition, with its total prize of about £22,000 (equivalent of over £1,000,000 in today’s money), is still known as the most valuable race ever run in England.

Arctic Prince’s brief racing career lasted less than a year, from 1950 to 1951, and consisted of only five races. The horse won two races including the 1951 Epsom Derby and was retired after breaking down at Ascot in July of the same year.

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Victorian Silver Racing Trophy Reily & Storer, London designed by Edmund Cotterill 1843 maker’s mark: CR over GS into a quatrefoil mark of Reily & Storer sterling silver mark assay date 1843 assay mark of London height: 32 cm; base diameter: 32 cm; weight: 5 kg Modelled as ‘The Death of The Douglas’, the silver sculpture shows two mounted knights and an archer having just loosed his arrow at one of them, with a dead stag underfoot.

The sculpture is standing on an ebonised plinth applied with shields; the central shield is engraved as follows: ‘Newcastle Upon Tyne 1844 Most Noble the Marquess of Normandy Right Hon’ble The Earl of Zetland, Sir C M Monck. Bart. Hope Johnstone Esq. Stewards’. The engraving on the second shield reads: ‘Won by Alice Hawthorn The Property of Gerard Salvin, of Croxdale, 27th June 1844’. The third one bears the coat of arms of Salvin.

The sculpture is the racing trophy won by Alice Hawthorn, a renowned racemare of the 1830’s and 40’s, in 1844.

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In that year she won all but three of her races - including seven walk-overs - in a crushing schedule - and in those three non-winning races, she ran second once, dead-heated once, and paid forfeit once.

She began by running second for the Chester Cup, beaten by Red Deer in a field of twenty-five. She then won ÂŁ100 in a race in which she beat Philip, who, the next day, won the Cheshire Stakes, and six others. She then embarked on another succession of wins all over the north and in the south; in a number of cases, there were no challengers, and she enjoyed walk-overs. Alice Hawthorn was certainly acclaimed as the premier racehorse of the season; apart from this trophy, she won many more over her career on the turf.

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The piece was designed by Edmund Cotterill (1795-1858), sculptor and head of Garrard’s design department.

Cotterill attended the Royal Academy Schools in 1820 and exhibited at the Academy between 1822 and 1858.

Cotterill achieved impressive popularity and is responsible for the imposing reputation that Garrard silver and bronze sculptures achieved during this time. He was an expert in modelling figures, animals and sculptural groups.

His name is often associated with race trophies for the Royal Ascot and Doncaster. The trophies were usually of sculptural type. Many of Cotterill’s designs incorporated horses, which he excelled at modelling. In 1851, a Garrard sculptural group designed by Cotterill was awarded a prize at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace.

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Regency Silver-Gilt Racing Trophy Joseph William Story & William Elliot, London 1812 maker’s mark: J.W.S W.E. into a square mark of J.W. Story & W. Elliot sterling silver mark assay date 1812 assay mark of London height: 36 cm; weight: 3,1 kg

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The campana-shape cup and cover with artichoke finial the main body with a cast and applied border of grape and vine. The festooned fruit handles terminating in Bacchic masks. One side with a cast scene of two horses and jockeys inside a laurel wreath. The other engraved ‘ The Perak Stakes won by Shamrock Slipper’

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Russian Silver Racing Trophy Sazikov, St.Petersburg 1871 height: 42 cm maker’s mark: Sazikov assay master’s mark: Cyrillic initials I.E. of unidentified master assay mark of St.Petersburg, 1871 silver standard: 84 zolotnik Exhibitions Wilmington, Delaware, Riverfront Arts Center, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, 9 Sept 2000 - 18 Feb 2001, no. 33 Bibliography G. von Habsburg, Fabergé: Imperial Craftsman and His World, London, 2000, no. 33, p. 54, illustrated in color Silver racing trophy with horse-head handles, standing on four hoof feet.

The piece is chased with the RussoByzantine interlace ornament, very typical of the items produced by Sazikov, one of the most well-regarded silversmith and jewelry firms of the 19th-century Russia and one of the greatest innovators in the field. The firm was famous for its tablewares and objets de vertu in Neo-Russian style.

In addition to that, Sazikov produced figurative sculptural works, often representing historical and genre scene.

The slip-on cover is inscribed in Cyrillic: Second prize for Exhibition Riding of the 13th Vladimir Lancers, His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Michael Nicholaievich Regiment from H.S.H. Prince Nicholai Petrovich Oldenburg.

Donated by Prince Nicholai Oldenburg, the trophy was presented as an award for a riding competition between the officers of the 13th Vladimir Lancers Regiment commanded by the prince.

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Prince Nicholai Oldenburg (Nikolaus Friedrich August von Oldenburg, 18401886), the second child and the elder son of Prince Peter of Oldenburg and Princess Therese Wilhelmina of Nassau, and the grandson of Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, belonged to one of the most influential royal families of Europe. Different branches of the house ruled over Denmark, Iceland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and Russia (the Romanovs were one of the descendants of the Oldenburg house).

Prince Oldenburg received home education. From birth he was assigned to the Life Guards Preobrazhensky Regiment. In 1856, he commenced his military service in the rank of lieutenant in the Life Guards Mounted Pioneer Squadron. In 1861, he was appointed the regiment’s commander.

In 1863 he made a morganatic marriage with Maria Bulazel (1845-1907). The marriage displeased the Tsar: Prince Oldenburg was dismissed from the Court and had to quit military service. Only three years later, due to the intercession of the Grand Duke Nicholas, who was married to his sister Alexandra, he was allowed to return to the army, his wife and children were granted the title of Counts Ostenburg.

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Victorian Parcel-Gilt Silver Tazza and Cover John Samuel Hunt, London 1863 height: 39 cm; weight: 2,7 g maker’s mark: ISH with crown above Queen Victoria’s head; lion passant for sterling standard; date letter “h”; assay mark for London The detachable cover chased with scrolling ivy on textured ground, the raised centre with cast sculptural group of three stallions, two locked in combat, rearing above a fallen companion, the body applied below the rim with leafy handles terminating in Tudor roses and buds, the stem with three cast children seated within arched recesses, on shaped foot chased with panels to match the cover, bead edges and stylised leaf borders.

John Samuel Hunt, who had been an assistant to the celebrated royal silversmith Paul Storr, was a partner in the firm of Hunt & Roskell until his death in 1865.

The firm traded between 1843-97, their retail shop at 156 New Bond Street in London’s West End, with a manufactory near Clerkenwell.

Hunt & Roskell continued Storr’s position as Royal Silversmiths and Jewellers.

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Silver Equestrian Cup and Cover Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co., London 1937 maker’s mark: G & S Co over LTD into a trefoil shape mark of Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. height: 55 cm; weight: 3,6 kg London, 1937 Maker’s mark of Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. The Art Deco cup and cover resting on a triangular base with three horse heads holding aloft the main body decorated with geometric design. The cover with the winged figure of Victory.

The firm of Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. was established in 1880 by William Gibson (d. 1913) and John Lawrence Langman (1846-1928). It was active at 112 Regent Street, London acquiring the premises previously used by John Joseph Mechi.

In 1893 the firm absorbed The Goldsmiths’ Alliance Ltd. and in 1898 became the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. being active as jewellers, dealers in diamonds and precious stones, silversmiths, electroplaters and watch and clock makers. In 1952 Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd. was amalgamated with Garrard & Co. Ltd. The firm participated in a number of national and international exhibitions: Indian and Colonial Exhibition (London, 1886), Paris (1889), Chicago (1893), California (1894), Paris (1900) and Franco-British Exhibition (London, 1908).

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Victorian Silver Tankard Charles Frederick Hancock, London 1868 height: 43 cm; weight: 4,3 kg maker’s mark: CFH under a crown of Charles Frederick Hancock sterling silver mark assay date 1864 assay mark of London marked underneath: CF Hancock 39 Bruton St. London 40/K

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A silver tankard of waisted cylindrical form with a mask spout, and a handle modelled as male figure clad in armour.

The sides are decorated with wreathed panels of winged classical nudes, the hinged cover is surmounted by an Ottoman equestrian standing beside his horse.

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Carl Friedrich Schulz (1796 – 1866) Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich Life-Guard Lancer Regiment on Manoeuvre 1848 oil on canvas 75 x 95 cm signed and dated lower right: Carl Schulz / 1848 Completed in 1848, the painting depicts Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich Life-Guard Lancer Regiment in Poland during the campaign of 1831.

Tsar Nicholas I was a great collector of military paintings, and Carl Friedrich Schulz was among his favourite artists in the genre. Grand duke Mikhail Pavlovich life-guard lancer regiment on manoeuvre is one of a group of paintings portraying the Russian army commissioned by Nicholas I, and is believed to have come down to us from the Tsar’s private collection. Considering himself a connoisseur, the Tsar took a close interest in the works of art that he commissioned, choosing the artists himself and tasking them with a specific subject. He was particularly meticulous over the painter’s attention to details of uniform, equipment and insignia. As a consequence of his enthusiasm, he soon accumulated an exceptional collection of military paintings.

The German painter Carl Friedrich Schulz was educated at the academies of Dusseldorf and Berlin but took much of the inspiration for his later work from his time as a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, in which he volunteered to serve in 1815. Having travelled extensively around Europe, Schulz settled in Berlin in 1830, where he was appointed professor of the Academy of Arts in 1841 before moving to Russia in 1847.

His exquisite grasp of anatomy and form, as well as his own experiences in the army, were easily transferred to the military scenes that preoccupied his later years, and of which this is a prime example. He was commissioned to paint these by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as well as Tsar Nicholas I.

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Bronze Sculpture ‘Farewell Kiss’ Vasily Grachev late 19th century height: 33 cm.; length: 30 cm. impressed mark of Grachev (in Cyrillic) and foundry mark Fabr. C. F. Woerfell Bronze St. Petersburg on the base

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Patinated bronze sculpture with a cossack saying goodbye to his girlfriend.

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Bronze Sculpture ‘Rocky Slope’ Vasily Grachev late 19th century height: 35 cm.; length: 30 cm. impressed mark of Grachev (in Cyrillic) and foundry mark Fabr. C. F. Woerfell Bronze St. Petersburg on the base

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Patinated bronze sculpture of a mounted cossack and his girlfriend depicted descending a rocky slope.

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Bronze Trophy of Racehorse Eremon height: 88 cm; length: 92 cm base inscribed: EREMON 1907; plinth applied with a plaque inscribed: Eremon / 1907/ Winner Grand National Steeplechase / also Lancashire Steeplechase / Trained by Thomas Coulthwaite

The model was made to commemorate Eremon’s 1907 Grand National win and given by the owner Stanley McKnight Howard to Major Townsend, a vet who had ‘fired’ the horses legs, transforming his race form.

The 1907 victory is considered one of the more noteworthy National wins.

Prior to the 1907 season Eremon was little-rated, had been bought for £50 and had previously been used as a carthorse. He was the owner’s only racehorse and during an eventful 1907 National the relatively unknown jockey Alf Newey suffered a broken stirrup early in the race but still held on to win by 6 lengths. Tipped for continued success, Eremon was fatally injured in the same year as his victory at Aintree.

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