Magnificent ELKINGTON SILVER GILT CENTREPIECE & MIRROR PLATEAU, 1865 Exhibition

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Magnificent ELKINGTON SILVER GILT CENTREPIECE & MIRROR PLATEAU, 1865 Exhibition:
$11183.93

We are offering for sale this majestic parcel giltsilver centrepiece in the \'Graeco-Pompeian\'style which just oozes high quality.

The centrepiecewas originally designed for Elkington & Co. by Albert Willms for theInternational Exhibitionof 1862 (see below for more information). Elkington & Company were the premier makers of large centrepieces during Queen Victoria\'s reign. Please note that this is a fully hallmarked silver centrepiece - the vast majority of centrepieces to be found are in silver plate.

The main centrepiece is decorated with anthemion engraving to the round foot and rises up on three sinuous supports to the vase-shaped dish holder at the top. It stands on three lion\'s paw feet and has anthemion pendants hanging from the upper section. The whole is very tastefully parcel gilt with the highlights showing up in gold.

The round glass dish appears to be original and sits securely to the dish ring at the top. This clear dish has a serrated rim above a central band of cut diamonds with ruby red hexagonal centres.

The separate mirrorplateau at the base is a bonus,addingto the height andincreasing the statement made by this beautifulcentrepiece. The plateau was added 10 years after the originalstand and is a trefoil shape with parcel-gilt decoration to match. It has amahogany insert with three hallmarked silver feet and as such is not included in theweighable silver (it weighs 2720 grams gross).There are a couple of very small imperfections to the silvering of the glass (see close-up photo), but they have no effect on the overallappeal of this magnificent centrepiece.

Centrepieces such as this are ideal for standing on a dining room table and the glass dish filled with fruit. The very top section has a circular hole just under the top to allow a cable to run through the thread in the middle of the dish ring and so if preferred one coulduseit as a lamp standard instead.The centrepiece and plateau can also be used independently of each other.

The main centrepiece is fullyhallmarked for Birmingham 1865 to one of the feet and appropriately part marked on the struts and dish ring. There is a registration design kite to the underside showing that the design was patented on the 3rd May 1862. The plateau is also fully hallmarked for Birmingham 1875 by Frederick Elkington.

Following an already illustrious career working with some of the most highly regarded firms of the day, Albert Willms was hired by Elkington & Co. to create a service for the Duke of Brabantand thenfrom 1857 to direct the company\'s designs. The designer had already worked with Jean-Valentin Morel on pieces for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and with Chrisofle and Paillard for the Paris Exposition of 1855; and so would have been an obvious choice for Elkington when designing for the Exhibition of 1862. He won a medal at the International Exhibition for his works, and there is no doubt that this creation for Elkington; which was very highly praised at the time, was a significant contributor tothe designer\'s success of that year.Atable garniture in electroplatefrom the full Graeco-Pompeianservice was sold at Sotheby\'s, London, The Great Exhibitions Sale, 31 October 2006, lot 537 for £48,000.[link removed by ]

The International Exhibition or Great London Exposition was a Worldfairheld in South Kensington, London from May 1st to November 1st 1862. It featured 28,000 exhibitors from 36 different countries and attracted over 6 million visitors.

An important andfabulous piece in superb condition.

Please view our specialist site at antiquesilverspoons for a further large selection of fine quality Victorian, Georgian and earliersilver.

MEASUREMENTS: 50cm overall height; 28cm diam. of glass bowl; 32.5cm max. width of plateau; 2290 grams (73.6 tr.oz.) weighable silver; 6100 grams overall weight.

MARKS: Full set of English hallmarks (guaranteeing Sterling 925 standard silver) for Birmingham 1865 (centrepiece)& 1875 (mirror plateau) by Elkington & Company.

CONDITION: Excellent. There are a couple of very small imperfections to the silvering of the glass (see close-up photo).

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions. Good luck, Gary.

We offer a full money back guarantee, if you are not happy with the item, within fourteen days of receipt.

For any questions or for direct card payments, you can phone us on:

01594 546328

(+44 1594 546328)

Office opening hours 9.00am – 4.30pm (Mon to Fri)

Outside these hours we are available via:

[email removed by ]

ABOUT US: We have been dealing in antique silver for 25 years and supply some of the UK’s leading retail outlets with top quality stock. We enjoy a strong reputation for honesty and integrity and never sell second rate items.

As leading specialists in the field offine antique silver, we have twosites:

Our first site at antiquesilverspoons.co.uk offers a wealth of information and advice about buying silver - in particular canteens of cutlery & early/collectable silver.

Our second site at uksilverexchange.co.uk explains the impact of the recent high metal prices on antique sterling silver and explains how to best take advantage of the situation.

You can be assured of a professional and friendly service and will never be disappointed withpurchases.