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Howell & James supplies the Sultan of Turkey’s gold casket, 1867
On June 23rd, 2011 John Culme wrote on the subject of Blog with John Culme,Uncategorized.
The Sultan of Turkey’s gold casket, presented by
the Corporation of the City of London on 18 July 1867,
‘is a hexagon, supported at the sides by six
carved columns of Oriental character, surmounted
by one large and two small cupolas.
At the top of the central dome are the arms of the City,
enamelled in their proper colours,
with the winged dragon supporters on each side.
The panels are in pierced gold, relieved by a
ground of crimson velvet. The centre panels contain
the arms of the Sultan in green enamel and gold;
the sides, his Majesty’s toura,
or autograph signature, in carved gold.
The casket stands on a plinth of green velvet…’
(The Illustrated London News, London, Saturday, 27 July 1867, p. 102)
His Imperial Majesty Abd’ul Aziz I (1830-1876), was the first Sultan of Turkey to visit Europe. An admirer of Western culture and a reformer in his own country, his tour of 1867 included England, where Queen Victoria made him a Knight of the Garter. A highlight of the Sultan’s stay in London was his procession from Buckingham Palace to the City, when the route was decked with flags and lined throughout with enthusiastic sightseers.
At the Guildhall, where he arrived flanked by a detachment of Royal Horse Guards, Abd’ul Aziz was given a splendid welcome. The Recorder of the City read the address on behalf of the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries, a copy of which was then presented to the Sultan in an enamelled 18ct gold casket. The latter had been specially commissioned from the Lower Regent Street store of Howell & James, a rather surprising choice because most City presentation boxes and caskets were usually furnished by Garrard’s, Hunt & Roskell or J.W. Benson of Ludgate Hill.
Howell & James, established at the beginning of the 19th Century, has been described as a proto department store, in that it had several dedicated areas. By the 1860s it specialized in luxury goods in jewellery, ormolu, silver, cabinet work, fans, clocks and dressing cases.
The actual manufacturers of the Sultan’s crimson velvet-lined gold casket would probably have been a manufacturing jeweller/goldsmith based in the Clerkenwell or Soho areas of London, where the best work of this type was traditionally made.
His Imperial Majesty Abd’ul Aziz I (1830-1876),
Sultan of Turkey (1861-1876)
Some ‘gifted amateur’ working silversmiths
On January 1st, 2010 John Culme wrote on the subject of Blog with John Culme.
a silver jewel box, William Snelling Hawaday, London, about 1905
(The Art Journal, London, July 1905, p. 217)
Among the most accomplished of ‘gifted amateur’ working silversmiths who entered their marks in London in the late Victorian and Edwardian period was Gilbert Marks (1861-1905). His work, much admired during his short working life, is now eagerly sought by collectors interested in the Arts & Crafts Movement.
He was not alone, however; many others from backgrounds far outside the trade were keen silversmiths, such as Alice, Countess Amherst (1854-1933), whose efforts in making small, spot-hammered plates are a great rarity. Another, more accomplished silver worker was Major Robert R. Woodhouse (1833-1912), father-in-law of the 3rd Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, who entered his first marks in 1890 and his last in 1906. He is known for a silver bell push and a two-handled tazza in ancient Greek style, which are likely to have been made as gifts for friends and family, as well as miniature pieces which eventually found their way into Queen Mary’s dolls’ house.
Another noted amateur silversmith was William Snelling Hadaway (1872-1941), an American citizen who lived in London from about 1897 until 1908, when he became superintendent of the Madras Government School of Arts in India. He is chiefly remembered for a number of silver objects with dolphins and other marine motifs, including a remarkable toilet set which, says The Art Journal (1905) was ‘designed for a special purpose.’ Both he and his wife, Jean, were enamellists, which accounts for the coloured plaques which sometimes enrich his work.
detail of an embossed, pierced and chased silver dressing table mirror frame,
from a toilet set decorated with blue and green enamel and inset with
chrysophrase and turquoise, William Snelling Hadaway, London, 1904
(photo: courtesy of Sotheby’s, London)
- A number of interesting enamelled items are listed on myfamilysilver.com.
John Culme, who for many years has been connected with Sotheby's Silver Department, is author of several books and articles, including The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, 1838-1914, published in 1987, and co-author with Nicholas Rayner of The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor. He is also a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths' Company, London.
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