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Lot Essay
This exotic work, described as a ‘tour-de-force’ by Michael Snodin in the 2002 landmark Beckford exhibition catalogue, is made from ‘mammelated’ agate and coral with finely modelled heraldically embellished silver-gilt mounts. It was created for Beckford by the London silversmith James Aldridge, however, Beckford himself almost certainly gave personal directions to the silversmith and quite probably with additional supervision from Beckford’s great friend Gregorio Franchi (1769-1828).
Evidence of the close collaboration between Beckford, Franchi and Aldridge can be seen in the album of drawings and designs, which once belonged to Aldridge, now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A E 1-89-1972).
Aldridge was apprenticed to Charles Aldridge in 1778 and became free in 1785. Charles Aldridge had also worked for Beckford, creating the Hamilton Beckford candlesticks in 1787 which are now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, sold Christie's, London, 17 November 2009, lot 277. James entered his first mark in 1798 when based at 20 Strand, later moving to 11 Northumberland Street nearby in around 1807.
James Aldridge's first surviving commission from Beckford dates from 1812, a bowl modelled in the form of a Chinese porcelain or enamelled copper bowl with engraved decoration that simulated painted enamel decoration. A large number of commissions followed for silver-gilt and gold-mounted hardstone vessels and silver-gilt mounted cups, scent flasks and jugs with East Asian porcelain bodies. One of the more extraordinary commissions was a magnificent hookah pipe which Aldridge created using a Mughal nephrite ewer as the body with silver-gilt and platinum mounts. The Victoria and Albert Museum album, mentioned above, was compiled by Aldridge and includes designs for Beckford accompanied by annotations and drawings by Franchi. The album dates from the Fonthill Abbey period. Some pieces, which appear in the album, amongst others are now at Brodick Castle, Isle of Arra, illustrated in D. Ostergard ed., op. cit, nos. 63. 69, 110 and 126.
The agate bowl, of the Hercules cup and cover offered here, was described in the Illustrated London News as of ‘botryioidal chalcedony’, a rare form of the hardstone which features striations in grape like clusters. It is thought that both the coral figure of Hercules and the fluted pendant finial beneath the bowl date from the 18th century, coming from a Southern Italy workshop. Beckford displayed this finely detailed work in one of the wall hung cabinets in his dining room at 19 Lansdown Crescent in Bath, however, it is clear from the numerous heraldic ornaments and the intricately engraved animal and foliage border that it was intended to be handled and admired through close examination.
The engraved bird, animal and foliate scroll border relates to the designs of the Dutch engraved and art agent Michel Le Blon (1587-1656) as published in Somige Eenvooldige Vruchten En Spitsen Voor Dancomen in 1611 and illustrated by Snodin in his chapter on Beckford and metalwork in the 2002 exhibition catalogue.
The innovative approach of combining semi-precious hardstones and gems with Renaissance inspired mounts and ornament epitomises Beckford’s taste for Kunstkammer like objects. Similar works by Aldridge, Storr and John Harris can be found in the Brodick Castle Collection as cited above; a cup and cover of 1816 by Aldridge, a bowl by Storr, also 1816 and a bowl and cover by Harris of 1818, and an unmarked agate and silver-gilt cup and cover of circa 1820 is in the Gilbert Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, D. Ostergard ed., op. cit, nos. 115-118. As noted earlier Aldridge also married East Asian porcelain with silver-gilt mounts to satisfy Beckford’s passion for the exotic; such as a Chinese Export porcelain teapot body with engraved silver-gilt golden carp mounts, sold Christie’s London, 27 November 2012, lot 839, a Meissen porcelain jug, sold Christie’s 7 July 2023, lot 49, and a sugar bowl and cover formed from Japanese porcelain, sold Christie’s London, 15 December 2016, lot 110. A tea cup and saucer of Sevres 'des Indes' pattern porcelain mounted by Aldridge in 1827 was exhibited by H. Blairman & Sons in 2010.
Evidence of the close collaboration between Beckford, Franchi and Aldridge can be seen in the album of drawings and designs, which once belonged to Aldridge, now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A E 1-89-1972).
Aldridge was apprenticed to Charles Aldridge in 1778 and became free in 1785. Charles Aldridge had also worked for Beckford, creating the Hamilton Beckford candlesticks in 1787 which are now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, sold Christie's, London, 17 November 2009, lot 277. James entered his first mark in 1798 when based at 20 Strand, later moving to 11 Northumberland Street nearby in around 1807.
James Aldridge's first surviving commission from Beckford dates from 1812, a bowl modelled in the form of a Chinese porcelain or enamelled copper bowl with engraved decoration that simulated painted enamel decoration. A large number of commissions followed for silver-gilt and gold-mounted hardstone vessels and silver-gilt mounted cups, scent flasks and jugs with East Asian porcelain bodies. One of the more extraordinary commissions was a magnificent hookah pipe which Aldridge created using a Mughal nephrite ewer as the body with silver-gilt and platinum mounts. The Victoria and Albert Museum album, mentioned above, was compiled by Aldridge and includes designs for Beckford accompanied by annotations and drawings by Franchi. The album dates from the Fonthill Abbey period. Some pieces, which appear in the album, amongst others are now at Brodick Castle, Isle of Arra, illustrated in D. Ostergard ed., op. cit, nos. 63. 69, 110 and 126.
The agate bowl, of the Hercules cup and cover offered here, was described in the Illustrated London News as of ‘botryioidal chalcedony’, a rare form of the hardstone which features striations in grape like clusters. It is thought that both the coral figure of Hercules and the fluted pendant finial beneath the bowl date from the 18th century, coming from a Southern Italy workshop. Beckford displayed this finely detailed work in one of the wall hung cabinets in his dining room at 19 Lansdown Crescent in Bath, however, it is clear from the numerous heraldic ornaments and the intricately engraved animal and foliage border that it was intended to be handled and admired through close examination.
The engraved bird, animal and foliate scroll border relates to the designs of the Dutch engraved and art agent Michel Le Blon (1587-1656) as published in Somige Eenvooldige Vruchten En Spitsen Voor Dancomen in 1611 and illustrated by Snodin in his chapter on Beckford and metalwork in the 2002 exhibition catalogue.
The innovative approach of combining semi-precious hardstones and gems with Renaissance inspired mounts and ornament epitomises Beckford’s taste for Kunstkammer like objects. Similar works by Aldridge, Storr and John Harris can be found in the Brodick Castle Collection as cited above; a cup and cover of 1816 by Aldridge, a bowl by Storr, also 1816 and a bowl and cover by Harris of 1818, and an unmarked agate and silver-gilt cup and cover of circa 1820 is in the Gilbert Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, D. Ostergard ed., op. cit, nos. 115-118. As noted earlier Aldridge also married East Asian porcelain with silver-gilt mounts to satisfy Beckford’s passion for the exotic; such as a Chinese Export porcelain teapot body with engraved silver-gilt golden carp mounts, sold Christie’s London, 27 November 2012, lot 839, a Meissen porcelain jug, sold Christie’s 7 July 2023, lot 49, and a sugar bowl and cover formed from Japanese porcelain, sold Christie’s London, 15 December 2016, lot 110. A tea cup and saucer of Sevres 'des Indes' pattern porcelain mounted by Aldridge in 1827 was exhibited by H. Blairman & Sons in 2010.