The Home Beautiful: A Magnificent Enameled Presentation Box and Champagne Flute 17th-20th C.

Champagne Glass and Presentation Case
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click on image for larger size.

From the Royal Collection, we have this silver and blue enamel Art Deco pentagonal presentation box.  The two hinged front doors open to reveal a magnificent champagne glass on a silver stand.  Across the bottom of both doors and the silver stand, gilt metal plaques boast a continuous inscription which reads:

THIS ANCIENT ENGLISH CHAMPAGNE GLASS, MADE IN THE REIGN OF

KING CHARLES II,

SHORTLY AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF THE SPARKLING WINE OF CHAMPAGNE BY DOM PIERRE PERRIGNON, AND BELIEVED TO BE

THE OLDEST DRINKING VESSEL OF ITS KIND IN EXISTANCE, WAS PRESENTED WIH HOMAGE AND RESPECT TO THEIR MAJESTIES KING

GEORGE V AND QUEEN MARY TO MARK THE MEMORABLE AND HAPPY OCCASION OF THE SILVER JUBILEE OF THEIR ACCESION TO THE THRONE 16TH MAY, 1935 BY THE WINE PRODUCERS AND PEOPLE OF CHAMPAGNE.

The entire box fits into a red leather carry case designed and made by Hermès.

This late seventeenth-century lobed drinking glass with splayed rim sits upon a baluster stem and a circular and spirally-molded foot.

As impressive as this important glass is, the Art Deco presentation case is equally important.

Enameler Jean Goulden (1878-1946) was commissioned to create the case by the large Champagne houses (Reims and Épernay), grape growers, cork makers and glass makers, after the ;eague had collectively purchased the champagne glass in London on November 6, 1934 from the collection of Grant R. Francis, who was known as one of the most important glass collectors of the twentieth century. 

Goulden's original designs for the casket exist in the collection of his son.  The artist had originally studied medecine and art in Paris before becoming a major-doctor during the first world war,  being stationed in Macedonia where he remained for some time as the guest of the monks' communities of the Mont of Athos.  There, he studied Byzantine enamels in the company of Paul Jouve (1880-1973). 

When Goulden returned to France, he joined Jean Dunard (1877-1942) who introduced him to the champlevé enameling technique.  Known for their fineness and rarity, Goulden's works are considered the best of the era and he is considered important in the development of the Art Deco style in the decorative arts.  His work is characterized by stong black lines and bright colors, and the use of a geometric or cubist style.

Style Starters: Liberty's of London Peacock Fabric, 1887

Textile
Roller Printed
Designed by Arthur Silver for Liberty's of London, 1887
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here, we see a textile sample from a roller-printed cotton which was used for furnishings, as curtains or upholstery. The brilliantly colored tail feathers of peacocks were very popular motifs with designers of the Aesthetic Movement. In addition to being a popular theme in textiles both for home and fashion, the feathers themselves were often used in the home—placed in vases and containers to add rich color to any space.  That’s a trick that I use around my own 1890s home and I must say it’s an elegant addition to a room.

This pattern was drawn in 1887 by Arthur Silver who set up the Silver Studio at Brook Green in 1880, later moving to Haarlem Road, Hammersmith, London. The Silver Studio was renowned for its designs and supplies them to a host of high-end retailers.

This particular textile was originally sold through Liberty's on Regent Street, London.  Liberty’s notably helped proliferate the Aesthetic style in England. This pattern was resurrected for the V&A's Liberty exhibition in 1975 and has since become almost a trademark for the company.

Reverse of the fabric.

Precious Time: The Lilies Lantern Clock, 1650

Lantern Clock of Silver
David Bouquet, 1650
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Lantern clocks such as the one pictured here were first developed in England in the 1620s. The name “lantern” is thought to have come from the word “laton” - meaning brass - as most of these timepieces featured brass cases.

These clocks were always driven by weights and were made to stand on a bracket or to hang on the wall.

This clock is exceptional in that it is the only known lantern clock with a silver, and not brass, case. The dial plate, chapter ring, alarm disc, side doors and pierced silver gallery are all comprised  of silver. Because of the unusual medium, we can only assume that this clock was a special commission for a wealthy patron from David Bouquet, a French immigrant who was admitted to the Blacksmiths' Company in 1628.  Bouquet joined the Clockmakers' Company as a founding member in 1632.  He was known for his fine engraving—work which we can see nicely here.  The front of the clock is engraved with pinks, tulips, lilies and other flowers.  Meanwhile,  above, an openwork gallery is surmounted by pierced floral crestings with vases at the corners.

The clock dates to about 1650.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Sheffield Silver Salver, 18th Century

Click on image to enlarge.

Silver Salver
Sheffield, 1740-1780
The Victoria & Albert Museum

In the Eighteenth Century, small silver salvers (wee trays with no handles) were used for a variety of purposes such as presenting a glass or small object to the master of the house. However, by the mid Eighteenth Century, salvers were mostly used to carry letters, cards or newspapers. For a servant to hand something directly to the master of the house was considered very bad form, so, the silver salver served as a handy go-between.

Salvers were usually round or slightly oval. Every so often, they were made in a square or polygonal form, often with rounded corners. They, more often than not, featured little silver feeties upon which the tray could rest when left upon a flat surface such as a center table or sideboard.

This circular example with three feet is made in Sheffield plate—coated with silver on both sides, but with the upper layer being thicker to better withstand the wear that the top of the object would receive. Furthermore, thicker silver on the top surface allowed sufficient material for a coat of arms or monogram to be engraved without exposing the base metal of the copper core. Such salvers were typically engraved. This one, for example, has been adorned with a coat of arms and branches of laurel and palm. This salver is an excellent example of the type of salvers made in Sheffield between 1740 and 1780.

Mastery of Design: The Dame Joan Evans Rock Crystal Pendant, 1650-75

Pendant of Enameled Silver and Foiled Crystal Pendant
1650-1675
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This handsome pendant from the important collection of jewels amassed by Dame Joan Evans is composed of rock crystal triplets (two layers of stone with a layer of red-colored foil material between), rock crystal and glass.  The stones are set in enameled silver.

The piece was made in Western Europe between 1650 and 1675.  

Gifts of Grandeur: Painted Silk Velvet Panels from a Reticule, 1820-1830

Silk Velvet Panel
England, 1820-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Painted between 1820 and 1830, these silk velvet panels were intended to be used in the construction of a reticule (also known as “indispensibles”). Ostensibly purses, reticules were used in the early Nineteenth Century by women to carry necessities such as smelling salts and a handkerchief. A lady might often make and decorate her own reticule at home using a store-bought lightweight frame of silver or steal with chain handles.

Amateur artists often painted onto silk velvet pieces which could be incorporated into a variety of projects. The painted velvet, owing to the pile of the fabric, afforded an appealing sense of depth and richness. It was also an interesting visual counterpoint to the preferred method of the Eighteenth Century—painting on silk taffeta.

These panels were surely painted at home by a now unknown lady. Both show a lively scene of flowers and butterflies against a ground of gold silk velvet. The shape suggests that they were meant to be sewn onto a reticule frame, but, it somehow never made it. Perhaps they are preserved because of it.

History's Runway: An Ivory Button Painted with a Butterfly, 1880

Painted Ivory Button
India, 1880
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see the first of a set of twenty-six buttons which were painted with an image of a butterfly. Made in India about 1880, for an ivory button like this to be painted with a naturalistic subject is quite unusual for the time. Most often, Delhi miniatures like this were painted with scenes of Indian monuments and portraits of Mughal emperors.

The painting is preserved under a glass disk which would have prevented wear to the image as the button was used.