Details
Shell shaped, raised on three shell feet, the inkwell with hinged shell cover and the figure of a Triton blowing a conch shell, stamped 'STORR & MORTIMER' and numbered '116', marked underneath and on cover
12 in. (30.5 cm.) wide
27 oz. 6 dwt. (850 gr.)
Provenance
Sir Nicholas Harington 14th Bt. (1942-2016), of Ridlington, co. Rutland,
Anonymous sale; Chiswick Auctions, London, 4 April 2017, lot 730.
Special notice
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.
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Lot Essay


The motif of the twin-tailed merman, an antique Classical form which in Greek mythology depicted Triton, son of the the sea gods Poseidon and Amphitrite, was employed by Renaissance sculptors such as Adriaen de Vries in the early years of the 17th century and Bernini in the 1640s. The form was reinterpreted by the early 19th century sculptors John Flaxman (1755-1826), William Theed the elder (1767-1817) and Edward Hodges Baily (1788-1867), all of whom worked with the Royal Goldsmith Rundell, Bridge and Rundell and their manager Paul Storr. Storr worked for the firm from 1807 until 1819, when he left to establish his own business.

William Theed's bronze 'Thetis returning from Vulcan with arms for Achilles', now in the Royal Collection, bears close comparison to a popular salt cellar form created by Paul Storr, a set of eight made in 1810 were illustrated in A. Phillips and J. Sloane, Antiquity Revisited: English and French Silver-Gilt from the Collection of Audrey Love, London, 1997, cat. no. 7. With the bronze the shell in which Amphitrite kneels is supported by the figure of Triton. Similarly with the salt cellar the shell, supported by Triton, forms the receptacle for the salt, but the figure of Amphitrite is absent. A design for these salt cellars survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum, illustrated op. cit., p. 49., which has been attributed variously to Flaxman, Theed and Baily. The date of these salt cellars predates Baily joining Rundells. This, together with the bronze sculpture by Theed points to the first interation of the form having been executed by Theed. As the present lot post dates Theed's death it suggests Baily took Theed's work as inspiration for this marine theme inkstand. The form continued to be used by Rundell, for example The Grand Service created from 1826 for King George IV by Rundells has tureens described at the time as ‘4 richly chased gilt shell pattern Soup Tureens supported by Sea Horses with Triton handle'. Garrards continued to employ the model into the second half of the 19th century, such as on the inkstand made for Lord Amhurst in 1878, illustrated op. cit., p.95.

Edward Hodges Baily (1788-1867), a sculptor and modeller is perhaps best known for having carved the figure of Admiral Nelson on Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, however his great skills as a modeller were put to great effect by the silversmiths Paul Storr and Rundell, Bridge and Rundell. Baily first studied at the Royal Academy School and became an associate of the Academy in 1817, coming just ahead of the painter John Constable in the ballot. On the death of Benjamin West he was elected as a Royal Academician. He trained as a modeller and carver in the studio of the celebrated artist and sculptor John Flaxman and joined the workshops of Royal Goldsmith Rundell, Bridge and Rundell as a designer and sculptor in 1815. After 1833, he joined Paul Storr and stayed with Storr and Mortimer’s successor firms, which traded as Mortimer and Hunt from 1839 until 1843 and then as Hunt and Roskell until 1897, (C. Oman, 'A Problem of Artistic Responsibility: The Firm of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell', Apollo, January, 1966, p. 180). He created sculptural trophies for Ascot, Doncaster and Goodwood Races and many Testimonials. In addition to designing these major works in silver he is well known as the sculptor of several famous monuments in London, including the figure of Nelson mention previously, exterior and interior sculptural panels for Buckingham Palace and Marble Arch, and numerous sculptures in St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

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