Antique 19th Century Italian Solid Silver Statues of Poseidon & Amphitrite, Rome

Antique late-19th Century French exquisite solid silver pair of comports. Standing on a domed foot adorned with scrolls, shells and fluted boarders, the inverted pear shaped foot sup...

Antique late-19th Century Indian Colonial solid silver repousse goblet, the top band is beautifully chased and repousse' decorated depicting Hindu god...

Novelty 20th century solid silver wager / marriage cup, the cups design inspired by the early 16th century German example, modelled as a female figure sup...

Antique late-19th Century German pair of solid silver bowls, each exceptionally decorative and ornamental on four scroll feet, the sides embossed and chased in high relief with class...

Stunning early 20th Century pair of solid silver table ornaments modelled as a male and female pheasants, each statue is naturalistic and well-refined, perfect to use as a table or f...

Antique mid 19th Century Chinese export solid silver wine goblet, impressive and exceptionally fine quality, double walled, applied with prunus flowers and exotic birds perching on b...

Embossed and engraved silver plaque La Madonna del lago (The Madonna of the Lake) Probably Milan, post 1824 Brass frame It measures 16.14 in x 13.85 in (41 x 35.2 cm) and it weighs 10.357 pounds (4.698 g): silver 1.31 pounds (598 g) + brass 9.03 pounds (4.100 g) State of conservation: some abrasions on the bottom. The frame is old, but not original. The plaque is made up of a sheet of embossed and engraved silver, and held in a solid brass frame. It depicts the “Madonna del lago” – “Madonna of the Lake” - (the Madonna with Child and San Giovannino) by Marco d'Oggiono (Oggiono, 1474 circa - Milan, 1524 circa), while changing only the background landscape. Almost certainly the subject reproduced in the plaque was taken from a famous engraving by Giuseppe Longhi (Monza, 1766 - Milan, 1831), one of the greatest engravers of his era. The silver is unmarked, probably because originally the Madonna was due to be exposed in a church: sometimes precious metals destined for worship and liturgical use would be exempted from payment and were, therefore, not marked. It is very likely that the plaque was made in Milan because in this city in 1824 the engraving by Giuseppe Longhi was made and printed. In addition, in Milan, the alleged lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci in his Milanese period (1482-1500) would be produced; this is the painting from which Marco d'Oggiono took his version. The painting Marco d?Oggiono was one of Leonardo da Vinci's most brilliant students and collaborators (D. Sedini, Marco d’Oggiono, tradizione e rinnovamento in Lombardia tra Quattrocento e Cinquecento, Roma 1989, pp. 151-153, n. 56; p. 225, n. 124, with previous bibliography). His style reflects in every way that of the Tuscan Maestro, so much so that he was the one who executed some copies of da Vinci's paintings. The execution of the “Madonna del Lago” probably draws inspiration from a lost painting by the Maestro, created while he was living in Milan (1482-1500). There are many similarities with other works by Leonardo such as the “Vergine delle rocce” or the “Vergine con il Bambino e San Giovannino, Sant’Anna e l’Agnello”. The painting, from which the drawing and then the famous engraving were taken, is found today at the M&G Museum of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where it came to rest after the sale of the Harrington Collection in London in 1917. The work appears in the inventories of the collection of Napoleon and Joséphine Bonaparte at the castle of Malmaison, before 1809. The Malmaison building was born and developed in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 18th century it belonged to Jacques-Jean Le Coulteux du Molay, a wealthy banker. Later, during the Directory, Joséphine Bonaparte de Beauharnais bought it on April 21st, 1799, but settled at the castle definitively only after her husband separated from her in 1809. She remained there until 1814, the year of her death. When Joséphine died, the estate passed to her son Eugène de Beauharnais, who moved to Munich with his whole family in 1815, bringing with him the collection of paintings he inherited from his mother. Eugène died in 1824 and his wife Augusta of Bavaria (von Bayern), unable to keep it, in 1828 sold the Malmaison to the Swedish banker Jonas-Philip Hagerman. It is likely that in this period Augusta also sold part of the paintings inherited from her husband, including the “Madonna del Lago”. This painting then came into the possession of Leicester Stanhope, fifth Earl of Harrington (1784 - 1862) and then was passed down to his descendants. In 1917, at the death of Charles, eighth Earl of Harrington, his brother Dudley inherited the title and properties and he put up a part of his collections for sale. Among these, precisely, the painting by Marco d'Oggiono was to be found. On the occasion of that auction the painting was presented as a work by Cesare da Sesto, by virtue of a handwritten note by the Countess of Harrington on the back of the table. However, already in 1857, the German critic Gustav Waagen had identified Marco d'Oggiono as the author of the painting, then exhibited in the dining room of Harrington House in London (Treasures of Art in Great Britain, in 4 volumes, London, 1854 and 1857). The engraving Giuseppe Longhi was one of the most renowned engravers in Italy between the end of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century. In 1824 Giuseppe Longhi, based on a design by Paolo Caronni, made a famous engraving of the painting of Marco d?Oggiono. The activity of Longhi was then at the peak of his notoriety, enough to earn him very substantial commissions; it is not risky to suppose that some of his successful engravings were also reproduced using other means: in our case in silver. (A. Crespi, a cura di, Giuseppe Longhi 1766–1831 e Raffaello Morghen...

Solid 800 silver camel. The sculpture was made with the casting technique and then finished completely by hand by expert chisellers to make the camel's f...

Imposing flower basket in solid 800 silver with base. The body of the centerpiece is rounded and completely embossed by hand with a wicker basket design. In the upper part of the c...

Pair of 19th Century Continental silver table figures of peacocks Germany, Circa 1880s Each one realistically cast, modeled and chased figures/models of standing peacocks...

Miniature in solid 800 silver reproducing D'Artagnan The miniature was made of solid silver with the fusion technique and subsequently finished with a chisel. The final finish was in natural, burnished silver and with 24kt gold details. Marble base By Geca Silversmith - MIlan - Italy for ARVAL ARGENTI VALENZA Silver statuette representing Charles de Batz-Castelmore, comte d'Artagnan. In 1630, aged about 20, he went to Paris to join the French Guards on the recommendation of a relative of his mother, the lord of Tréville, who also appears in Dumas' novels as his protector . It was at this time that the young Charles decided to adopt the surname d'Artagnan, that of his mother's family. The paternal branch in fact belonged to the bourgeoisie, and Charles preferred to use the surname that would have given him more prestige. Thus it was that the royal d'Artagnan did 15 years of military service until Cardinal Mazarin...

Horse statue made in solid silver 800 completely handmade. The horse was made in two parts with the technique of fusion in the earth and once cast and detached joined by welding. Sub...