Best of Silver 2023

This year represented the best yet for the silver department at Chiswick Auctions, with London’s most diverse silver sale. Competition for pieces over £1,000 increased, and the house achieved the first ever dedicated Indian silver sale with the Stewart Collection in February. This benchmark sale went on to achieve exceptional prices for a now deeply sought after and revered field, Indian silver produced during the Briths Raj period.

TOP LOTS

The tea bowl is an exceptional example of Kangxi Chinese silversmithing with London additions and marks, part of a disbanded set this example is now part of the Chitra Collection, N. Sethia Foundation. The Russian Icon case bearing the all-important marks for the House of Olovyanishnikova was discovered in a routine valuation alongside other more usual silver items, it is believed to have been previously unrecorded in Russian arts.

_{An exceptional late 17^th / early 18^th century Chinese silver gilt tea bowl circa 1700, with Queen Anne Britannia standard handles, London 1705 by David Willaume I (1658-1741)}_{£18,750 incl. premium}

^{A Nicholas II early 20th century Russian 875 standard silver gilt gem set icon case, Moscow circa 1910 possibly by Kuzma Ivanovich Konov for P.I. Olovyanishnikova and Sons (active until 1917) £32,500 incl. premium}

STEWART COLLECTION

The Stewart Collection represents the first ever devoted auction of Indian silver. Starting with Burma and a small amount from Ceylon, the sale then takes the viewer on an anticlockwise journey throughout the silversmithing centres of British India, beginning in Madras. The collection is remarkable for the extent to which it covers the handmade craftsmanship of every area and the variety of decoration associated with those regions in India.

_{A world record price for Peter Orr and Sons silver, a late 19th century Anglo – Indian silver three-piece bachelor tea service, Madras circa 1890, £33,750 incl. premium}

_{A fine late 19^th century Anglo – Indian silver teapot, Cutch, Bhuj circa 1880 by Oomersi Mawji (active 1860-90) £9375 incl. premium}

A late 19th century Anglo – Indian silver claret jug or ewer, Bangalore circa 1890 retailed by A. Bhicajee and Co of Bombay

^{A late 19th century Anglo – Indian silver claret jug or ewer, Bangalore circa 1890 retailed by A. Bhicajee and Co of Bombay £5000 incl. premium}

^{A late 19th century Anglo – Indian unmarked silver claret jug or ewer, Cutch circa 1870 £10,625 incl. premium}

NON- EUROPEAN SILVER

Silver produced outside of Europe from the late 19^th to the middle of the 20^th century has shown the most growth in recent years and continues to attract new collectors to the marketplace as knowledge of these areas improves. Chiswick Auctions silver department is the leading sale for non-European silver.

^{A rare early 20th century Iraqi silver and niello tray, probably Nasiriyah circa 1920 £2500 incl. premium}

^{A fine early 20th century Iraqi silver and niello four-piece coffee service, circa 1930 signed Onaisi (Onaisi Al Fayyadh) £3250 incl. premium}

_{A large fine l}_{ate 19^th / early 20^th century Japanese silver fruit bowl, Yokohama circa 1900 by Yoshikatsu £6,250 incl. premium}

^{A very large early 20th century Anglo – Indian unmarked silver bowl, Lucknow circa 1910 £3,125 incl. premium}

CHINESE EXPORT MUGS

This year has seen the sale of four particularly good examples of Chinese export silver mugs, each representing an excellent example of this genre of Canton silversmithing. The large, lidded mug is a prize example of the work of Qiu Ji, now known to be one of the most important workshops operating in late 19^th and early 20^th century Canton.

^{A large late 19th century Chinese Export silver lidded mug or tankard, Canton circa 1880 by Qiu Ji, retailed by Lee Ching of Canton and later Hong Kong}^{£13,750 incl. premium}

Penang interest – A rare mid-19th century Chinese export silver mug, Canton dated 1869 by Shan, mark of Khecheong £5,250 incl. premium

^{A mid-19th century Chinese Export silver mug, Canton circa 1850 mark of WE, WE, WC, possibly for Punqua Winchong of Hong Kong £4,750 incl. premium}

^{A mid-19th century Chinese Export silver mug, Canton circa 1850 mark of Cutshing £5,250 incl. premium}

PROVINCIAL SILVER

Silver produced in the corners and smaller towns of the British Isles has long had a determined following, with collectors appreciating its idiosyncrasies and histories of production. As well as established strong demand for items of Irish provincial silver, such as the previously unrecorded bowl from Clonmel, early silver from York and Newcastle is seeing consistent demand.

^{A highly unusual and rare pair of George III provincial sterling silver milk jugs or sauce boats on stands, York 1802 by Hampston, Prince and Cattle £5,250 incl. premium}

^{A pair of George II provincial sterling silver beakers, Newcastle 1740 by Isaac Cookson £3,625 incl. premium}

^{A rare George II Channel Islands silver punch ladle, Guernsey circa 1740 by Guillaume Henry (active 1720-67) £3,250 incl. premium}

^{A very rare George II Irish provincial silver bowl, Clonmel circa 1750 by Hercules Morgan £4500 incl. premium}

THE 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 19^th & 20^th CENTURY

British silver across the last five centuries is the most frequently encountered at auction, here we detail some of our best results from each century showcasing the breadth of British silver in each period.

^{An Elizabeth I sterling silver gilt sugar or spice box lid, London 1598 by a triangle intersected (unidentified) £5,750 incl. premium}

^{A James II sterling silver twin handled covered porringer, London 1688 by Benjamin Pyne £6,250 incl. premium}

^{A rare William III Irish silver tankard, Dublin 1701 by Thomas Bolton (active 1686-1736) £5,000 incl. premium}

^{A Victorian Scottish sterling silver six-piece tea, coffee and wine service, Glasgow 1873 by David Crichton Rait £5,750 incl. premium}

^{Polo interest – A fine early 20th century Art Deco sterling silver, gold, and lacquer cigarette box, Paris by Lacloche Frères, import marks for London 1929 by George Stockwell £7,500 incl. premium}

^{A set of eight Elizabeth II modernist parcel gilt sterling silver goblets, London 1969 by Stuart Devlin (1931-2018) £6,875 incl. premium}

MALTESE SILVER

Maltese silver is one of the most sought-after fields in all continental silver, while the coffee pot is the most iconic form for silver made on the island, this year also included and extremely rare example of a Maltese silver teapot.

^{A late 18th century Maltese silver coffee pot, circa 1770 by Giuseppe Farrugia (reg. 19th Nov 1768) £8,750 incl. premium}

^{An extremely rare early 19th century Maltese silver teapot, Valetta circa 1800 by Vincenzo Said (reg. 1800) £5,500 incl. premium}

COLONIAL SILVER

This year has also included rare examples of colonial silver or that made in London for use in the colonies. The early American cities of New York, Philadelphia, Boston were the main colonial centres in the 18^th century, while in the 19^th century most colonial silver was produced in India chiefly in Calcutta and Madras. London made silver was certainly made and supplied to these areas as well as the West Indian islands, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and others.