Early metalware heads to sale
The earliest recorded Medieval posnet (metal cooking pot), of its kind and an exceptionally rare 17th-century brass dog collar, engraved with the name of the Member of parliament and Mayor of Bridgwater at the time, are two highlights from an unparalleled collection of metalware heading to auction in July.
Over a lifetime in the making, The Butler Hoard is a unique collection of early metalware, which has been meticulously assembled by the renowned West Country antique dealers and metalware experts, Roderick and Valentine Butler. They spent over 70 years, not only running the family antiques business, but also amassing a personal collection of fine art and antiques in their home region of Devon, UK.
Spanning the 14th century to the Arts & Crafts movement, the collection showcases over 300 rare and historic pieces, many with makers marks and with outstanding provenance. From medieval candlesticks and bronze mortars to iron cauldrons, skillets and other curious and highly collectable forms, The Butler Hoard offers a onetime opportunity for collectors and connoisseurs alike. The sale will take place at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on July 1.
Roderick Butler’s fascination with antiques began in 1957 when he joined the family antiques business at Marwood House in Honiton, Devon. At the same time, he began assembling his own collection, selecting fine or rare pieces in excellent condition, each distinguished by unique design features, or identifiable makers’ marks. His wife and business partner Valentine shared a similar passion, having trained in cabinet making at the London College of Furniture. The couple carried out extensive research projects, on the makers of certain pieces each piece’s history, all while continuing to painstakingly build their personal collection.
Over time Roderick earned a reputation across the UK, not just as a trusted dealer, but as an authority on antique metalwork. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a long-standing member of the British Antique Dealers’ Association. His expertise also saw him serve on the vetting panel of the esteemed Grosvenor House Antiques Fair, which he chaired during its final years.
Specialist Mark Yuan-Richards at Woolley and Wallis auctioneers, said: “This collection celebrates the Butlers’ decades-long dedication to preserving the best of Britain’s metalworking heritage and demonstrates the Butlers exceptional knowledge and devotion to quality and history.”
Among the highlights of their extensive collection, which has been curated by the oak furniture consultant David Houlston, is an exceptionally rare pair of large and fine English ‘chalice and paten’ brass candlesticks, which are amongst the largest of their type recorded. Such is the quality, that an almost identical pair can be found in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection in London. Standing at 32cm high they date from c. 1550 and carry an estimate of £30,000-£50,000.
A large and fine pair of English brass trumpet-base candlesticks dating from c. 1650 in the sale are thought to have once been housed in a chapel in Moretonhampstead, Devon. With corded upper and lower stems, the wide, slightly raised circular spreading feet feature line engraved decoration. The pair carries an estimate of £6,000-£8,000.
A rare bronze English candlestick that is part of a small group recognised as the earliest stable form of copper-alloy candlesticks manufactured in England in the late 14th and 15th century is also on offer. “At first glance it is comparable to the so-called ‘Bunsen Burner’ candlesticks of similar date, namely in the design of the stem and socket. However, the base design is completely different and far rarer, it is concave and not simply straight-sided”, says Yuan-Richards, who continues “The candlestick’s fine patination implies an archaeological recovery and the crisp detail retained implies it was ‘lost’ when fairly new.” It carries an estimate of £4,000-£6,000.
The sale also includes the earliest recorded Whitechapel foundry mortar, a type of mortar made by the esteemed Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London. These mortars, which were known for their elaborate decoration, were particularly popular in the 17th century and were used for a variety of purposes such as grinding herbs and spices, medicines and paint pigments. This particular example is the earliest example attributed to the Flemish bell-founder at Whitechapel, Robert Mot (1574-1606) and is therefore reminiscent of Flemish mortars of the same period. The rim is intriguingly inscribed ‘I speke to the no evele‘. It carries an estimate of £1,000-£1,500 (lot 15).
A huge leaded bronze cauldron by the renowned maker Thomas Sturton I of Somerset is one of the largest of all Sturton cauldrons ever recorded – measuring 43.3cm high and 48.5cm wide. Considered an essential household item in the medieval and post-medieval periods, Sturton cauldrons are historically significant, with the Sturton family of South Petherton, Somerset being noted founders of bronze cooking vessels from 1630 to the early 18th century. This enormous example dates from C.1630-40 and carries an estimate of £3,000–£5,000 (lot 111).
An English spherical-shaped posnet (an archaic term for a small, metal cooking pot with three feet and a handle, used for boiling and cooking food over an open fire), is the earliest type of Medieval posnet ever recorded. Dating from circa 1200-1300, this remarkable leaded bronze survivor was discovered in October 2003 by a metal detectorist, ‘feet down’ and just a few inches below the surface of a watery meadow near Carnforth, Lancashire. It carries an estimate of £4,000-£6,000.
Elsewhere in the sale is a pair of George III bronze candlesticks made from mounted guns from one of the ships captured just before the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779-1783). The three-year military campaign by Spain and France to capture the British-held fortress in Gibraltar, involved the ‘Grand Attack’, comprising ten Spanish floating batteries, which were unleashed in a relentless bombardment on Gibraltar from close range. British forces, retaliated with heated cannonballs, setting the attacking vessels alight and ultimately obliterating the enemy fleet. The candlesticks are engraved on each foot – one says: Made from a piece of ordnance on board one of the Spanish, the other: Battering ships destroyed before Gibraltar, Sep 13 1782. The pair carries an estimate of £400-£600.
A mid-18th century brass tankard in the sale is engraved with a scene taken from a painting dated 1576. The painting depicts Russian envoys followed by merchants, carrying animal furs, arriving at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillian II at Rosenberg. It was made by the illustrious Demidov metal-working factory in Ural, Russia in 1751, which was founded by the Russian industrialist Nikita Demidovich Antufiev (1656-1725) in 1725. A tankard of similar shape with foliate decoration, is in the Order of Lenin State History Museum, in Moscow, Russia. This important example of fine metalwork carries an estimate of £2,000-£3,000.
A William and Mary brass dog collar dating from the 17th century is an unusual and very human addition to the sale. The name engraved on the collar is George Balch (c.1667-1738), who was a prominent member of Bridgwater society. He was mayor twice, in 1699 and 1708 and the town’s Member of Parliament, a Whig, from c.1700-08. He married a Susanna Everard with whom he had eleven children and a seemingly rather large dog!) The collar is dated 1692 and specialist Mark Yuan-Richards tells us: “Dog collars are usually recorded in the 18th/19th century, but rarely in the 17th century”, making this a very rare example. It carries an estimate of £1,000-£1,500.