Classic Design Including Property of the Marquess of Anglesey
Classic Design Including Property of the Marquess of Anglesey
The Property of the Marquess of Anglesey from the Private Apartment at Plas Newydd
A gold-mounted aquamarine desk seal, Hunt & Roskell, London, circa 1845
Lot Closed
April 11, 01:50 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
the tapering handle formed of a massive faceted aquamarine, the mounts cast with roses and other flowers in high relief, the collar flanked by two reeded bands of polished gold, the aquamarine matrix engraved with the crowned cipher of Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey (1797-1869), apparently unmarked, ~
in the original gold-tooled leather presentation case centred with the crowned Anglesey cipher, stamped for Hunt & Roskell, Jewellers and Goldsmiths to the Queen and the Royal Family,
6.9cm., 2 3/4 in. high
Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey (1797-1869)
Lofts & Warner, London, An Inventory and Valuation […] At Plas Newydd, Anglesey, 1948, p.125, Jewels, ‘DESK SEAL’, Chased gold mounted set with Aquamarine, with aquamarine handle’ (Private Family Archive).
The firm of Hunt and Roskell (1843-1897) was a direct descendant of that established by the acclaimed Regency silversmith Paul Storr in 1819. Officially appointed silversmiths and jewellers of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the firm had over thirty-five employees at their retail premises at 156 New Bond Street and employed nearly one-hundred craftsmen at their factory at 26 Harrison Street.
Storr & Mortimer and their successors were had also become known for their impressive displays of jewellery and silver at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the International Exhibition of 1862, the former of which was rumoured to be worth over £100,000. According to the Official Catalogue of 1862, the jeweller's aim was the ‘combination of utility with the highest form of excellence,’ a quality also exemplified in the present lot.
Interestingly, their display at the Great Exhibition of 1851 featured a rather impressive shield decorated with a portrait of the Marquess of Anglesey which was presented to the Goodwood races by Lord George Bentinck. (Catalogue of Articles Exhibited by Hunt and Roskell, Great Exhibition 1851, p.16) Other impressive works made by the firm include the Titan Vase and the shield of Shakespeare, Milton and Newton, also exhibited that year.