Cartier silver flower is sale highlight
Selected pieces from the world’s most notable high-end retailers, including Tiffany, Liberty and Cartier are poised to fly at Cotswold auctioneers Kinghams, this March.
According to associate director Matthew Lafite, “There are only a few names that when mentioned, pique one’s interest instantly. Synonymous with quality and style. Tiffany. Cartier. Liberty. These names say it all.”
A rarely seen silver and enamel flower study by Cartier, is one highlight of the March 22nd auction. Testament to the skill of the artist goldsmith, the faceted silver vase, depicts lily of the valley in polychrome enamel with foliage and gilt stems. Each flowerhead is individually crafted and attached ‘en tremblant’ to the stem frame, giving the piece movement and life. The underside is marked, ‘Cartier. Sterling’.
A further highlight is a stunning pair of Tiffany Art Nouveau solid sterling silver five-light candelabra, each comprising four organic reeded branches with swan neck terminals, atop four cast and applied shell, floral and leaf capped lion’s paw feet. The pair weigh 3,725 grams, and each is fully marked to the underside, ‘TIFFANY & Co. MAKERS’, dating to circa 1905. Matthew Lafite continued: “The pair of Tiffany candelabra are quite exceptional. Lovely quality and extremely substantial. One can imagine the calibre of clientele who purchased, or commissioned these from Tiffany, over one-hundred years ago”.
Noted English names also feature in the Kinghams Auction. On offer are pieces by Liberty, the famous retailers based in a vast mock-Tudor flagship store on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London, known around the world for its close connection to art and culture.
Eye-catching and collectable pieces in their original Liberty & Co fitted boxes are sought-after by collectors. Amongst the offering at Kinghams, is a set of six art deco silver sandwich sticks or cocktail sticks, each of tapered cylindrical form, surmounted by a selection of polished spherical specimen semi-precious hardstone, including lapis lazuli. The silver is fully hallmarked Liberty & Co Ltd, 1928.
“Pieces from some of the most prestigious names in the world are always popular in our auctions. Having been crafted from materials including silver, enamel and semi-precious stones, adds to the beauty and appeal of these treasures. Estimates range from £50 to £5000, so we have a good and varied range,” said Matthew.
Kinghams Silver & Objects of Vertu sale will be held on March 22 in Moreton-in-Marsh.