MARK OF LEWIN DEDEKE, CELLE, 1722-23

These casters are extraordinary examples of the plate made by the Hanoverian Court goldsmiths in the English taste. Strongly influenced by the English Huguenot style, with its reliance on severe geometric silhouettes, the Hanoverian goldsmiths produced silver of remarkable quality and beauty. The unusual press-button release to the cover of the casters is rarely if ever seen on English silver of the period.

As part of the Hanoverian Royal plate, these casters presumably remained at Herrenhausen, the Palace at Hanover, from 1722-23 until shortly after the Seven Weeks' War in 1866. The Palace was sacked by Prussian troops during the war but the Royal Plate was hidden in a vault. George Frederick, King of Hanover, was deposed during that war and the family was deprived of the title Kings of Hanover. They were henceforth known as Dukes of Brunswick and moved to Austria. The silver was moved to Penzing near Vienna and to the Duke's villa at Gmunden in Upper Austria. On the death of George Frederick's son Ernest Augustus, a considerable part of the Hanover silver, both English and German, was purchased by the Viennese dealer Gluckselig and appears to have been resold to the London dealers Crichton Brothers.

The maker of these casters, Lewin Dedeke of Celle, is known to have collaborated with the Hanover court goldsmith, Conrad Holling, from 1706-7 to 1726-7 (see W. Scheffler, Goldschmide Niedersachsens, Berlin, 1965, p.249). It is tempting to suggest that the D crowned and DD marks found in association with Holling's mark on Hanover Royal silver - the former on two flasks and the latter on three further flasks and the Luton Hoo ewers and basins (Sotheby's, London, 24 May 1995, lot 100) are perhaps unrecorded Dedeke marks. Lewin Dedeke's mark alone appears on a large number of pieces made for the Hanover Court, recorded at Penzing (see Scheffler, op. cit., p.250).