Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Gilt and Cut Crystal Claret Jug 1873 19th C

This is a wonderful Antique Victorian sterling silver-gilt  mounted claret jug,  with makers mark for W&G Sissons and hallmarks for Sheffield 1873.

The silver-gilt mounted claret jug, beautifully chased and etched with strapwork and fruiting vine, the hinged cover with a pierced thumbpiece, it features a wonderful scroll cast silver handle and an elegant clear cut crystal body with magnificent vine and strapwork decoration and  a star-cut flat base.

 

The lid is impressed with full hallmarks.

There is no mistaking its unique quality and design, which is sure to make it a treasured piece by any discerning collector.

Condition:

In excellent condition with no dings, dents or signs of repair.
Please see photos for confirmation.

Claret Jug - is used to describe a table decanter intended for red wine, today also used as a sport's trophy.

W&G Sissons
The firm was established in Sheffield in 1786 as Roberts, Cadman & Co. The firm was managed by Samuel Roberts Jr. (son of Samuel Roberts Sr.) and George Cadman (who served his apprenticeship under Samuel Roberts Sr.). A "sleeping" partner (only financial, until c. 1794) was the Rev. Benjamin Naylor.
They were active as tableware manufacturers in Eyre Street, Sheffield, in the premises owned by Samuel Roberts Sr.
The partnership, with the addition of George Ingall (1816), lasted until 1826 when was succeeded by S. Roberts, Smith & Co. The partners of the new firm were Samuel Roberts Jr., his nephew Evan Smith, his cousin's son, Sidney Roberts and William Sissons.
In 1833 the partners were Samuel Roberts, Evan Smith and William Sissons. The firm Smith, Sissons & Co., which succeeded following the retirement of Samuel Roberts in 1848, was a partnership of Evan Smith and William Sissons Sr. lasting until 1858.
The business was continued by William Sissons Jr. and George Sissons under the style W & G Sissons, entering their first mark as Henry Smith in London Assay Office in 1864 (8 Duke Street, Adelphi, WC). Other marks were entered in London in 1866 by William Sisson and George Sissons (9 Eyre Street, Sheffield and 8 Duke Street) and in 1887 by Walter Sissons and Charles Sissons (75/77 St. Mary's Road, Sheffield and later on their London Showrooms at 34 Southampton Road and 3 Charterhouse Street, Holborn Circus).
Later the firm was converted into a Limited liability company.

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.