19th Century Italian Sterling Silver Glass and Wine Coasters, circa 1830

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...

Embossed and engraved silver coffee pot Antonio Garavaglia Milan, Circa 1830 It measures 16.92 in (43 cm) in height and weighs 3.35 lb (1.520 gr) State of conservation: very good The large silver coffee pot has a round mouthpiece with a marked everted rim on which a pagoda lid rests; this is surmounted by a cock-shaped knob with a border decorated with small pods...

Silversmith L. B. Small silver soup tureen or puerperal cup with plate and lid Milan, around 1830 Height 19.5 cm (7.67 in) - diameter 21.7 cm (8.54 in) lb 2.14 (kg 0.97) State of conservation: slight use defects and a dent on the plate. From about the mid-16th century, the puerperal soup tureen or puerperal cup became one of the most popular wedding gifts in central Italy. As an auspicious symbol, it replaced the birth table...

Embossed and engraved sterling silver coffee pot Tommaso Panizza (1805-1868) Milan, circa half of the 19th century It measures 13.97 in (cm 35.5) in height x 8.66 in (22 cm) x 4.7...

Ancient Neoclassic Sterling Silver Coffee Pot, Palermo, Sicily circa 1789 Embossed and engraved silver coffee pot Silversmith, probably Agostino Natoli Diego Di Maggio, Silversmith Consul in 1789 and 1796 Palermo, 1789 It measures 14.17 in (36 cm) high and weighs 2.76 lb (1.252 g) State of conservation: few signs of use and some slight blemishes The large silver coffee pot has a round mouthpiece with a markedly everted rim, on which hinges a domed lid with very full molded pod shapes; a closed bud surmounted by a small sphere serves as a knob. The polygonal neck descends and widens into molded elements that come together, with larger pods, at the point where it is attached to the body. The body in turn is united to a well-shaped foot, which ends in a flat base with a vertical rim. From the body rises a spout with a circular mouth accented with a thick rim. An angled loop, made of ebonized wood, is applied to the neck by means of a double-cone element having a sphere at its center; it ends in a silver cone...

Pair of thirteen-flame candelabra France or Russia Second quarter of 19th century Cast, chiseled and gilt bronze Height 40.95 in (cm 104), diameter 17,7 in (cm 45) 97 lb (44 kg) Sta...

We are thrilled to offer you this pair of sterling silver wine coasters by Black Starr & Frost. They have a 2.5” sterling silver rim that ...

These oil and vinegar bottles are a sleek cruet condiment set, made of fine and elaborate cut crystal and sterling silver with a neoclassical appeal thanks to the Greek key pattern t...

Hallmarked in London in 1787, this striking set of four George III, Antique Sterling Silver Wine Coasters, feature pierced and eng...

Hallmarked in London in 1842 & 1844 by Robert Garrard II, this very rare pair of graduated Antique Sterling Silver Wine Coasters, feature pierced sides, silver bases, and engraved co...

Hallmarked in Birmingham, in 1870 by John Gough, this striking, Victorian, antique silver claret Jug, features cut glass, and engraved decora...

Beautiful late 19th century antique mustard pot. The jar is made of colored (blue) and clear crystal and solid silver. The inside of the lid is gol...