A Royal Dutch silver-gilt two-handled porringer on stand, Hans Conraet Brechtel, The Hague, 1680

each piece with acanthus foliage border on matted ground, engraved with the royal coat-of-arms and crown, the stand on circular foot with cut-card ornament on the reverse

Acquired from Frank Partridge & Sons Ltd., London, 1 November 1968.

Associated Literature:
Tessa Murdoch (ed.), Beyond the border, Huguenot goldsmiths in Northern Europe and North America, Victoria & Albert Museum, 2008, p. 20-44.
MIchele Bimbenet-Privat, Les orfevres et l’orfevrerie de Paris au XVIIe siècle, Paris, 2002, p. 89.

The stand: 25.5cm., 10in. diameter; 7.5cm., 3in. high The porringer: 23cm., 9in. over handles; 19.5cm, 7 3/4 in. high The stand with screw on foot, the underside of the foot is fully hallmarked, the salver portion has one mark on the top near the rim, some wear to gilding and extensive wear to the engraved coat-of-arms, overall light surface scratches commensurate with age The porringer fully hallmarked on underside, the cover and finial apparently unmarked. The coat-of-arms and decoration on the body is in good condition, one hairline split to rim and another hairline crack to inside of body at join with handle, there is a 2cm loss of gilding to the inside of the porringer near the rim, otherwise in good overall condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The arms are those of William, Prince of Orange (1650-1702) impaling those of Princess Mary of England (1662-1694), who were married at St. James’s Palace, London, on 4 November 1677. Following the Glorious Revolution (1688) and consequent abdication of Mary’s father, James II, they were crowned as William III and Mary II at Westminster Abbey on 11 April 1689.

Hans Conrad Brechtel, came from Nuremberg to The Netherlands as part of a wave of German goldsmiths, who had lost their business due to the 30-Years-War. They were attracted to the country by its religious toleration and to The Hague by its cosmopolitan nature as cite of the Stadtholder’s court .  Brechtel established connections with the court supplying such items as the silver child’s linen basket of 1645 (Honorable Society of the Inner Temple, London)  with the same armorials as the porringer, but of the previous generation, those of the newly married William II prince of Orange (1626-1650) and Mary Stuart (1631-1660) eldest daughter of Charles I (1600-1649). Similarly, Brechtel supplied the beaker given to the city of Leiden by James I’s daughter  Elizabeth Stuart Queen of Bohemia (1596-1662), in thanks for the education of her children.

A toilet set made in Paris around 1670 for the then little princess Mary Stuart (1662-94) eldest daughter of James II (1633-1701) was brought with her to The Hague when she came to marry William III, prince of Orange (1650-1702). Brechtel’s workshop, which must have continued using the maker’s mark after Hans Conrad’s death in 1675, provided three boxes to match pieces in the toilet following the marriage in 1677. The later pieces in this toilet set which is now at Chatsworth, property of the Duke of Devonshire, has the same arms as the porringer and stand now offered for sale.