Lot 252. Large, impressive ivory tankard and cover with silver mounts, Probably Southern France, about 1720. Estimate: € 18000-20000. Photo Hampel.
Ivory carved in high relief. Wrought copper insert, applies interior. Silver feet and cover mounts. Unidentified hallmarks: "L." in transverse rhombus flanked by two oval hallmarks in the shape of pinecones and assay scrape underneath. Two vertical, lancet-shaped silver buckles on Either Side, one engraved: "Sans pain, sans vin; l'amour n'est rien" [Without bread and wine, love is nothing]. These two buckles were probably Applied later, one probably to cover a shrinkage crack in the tankard and the other as its counterpart. Winged putti hold two crowned coat of arms; on the left the monogram "MW" is discernible, the mongram on the right is harder to decipher, Possibly "NI" (?). The figures of a dragon and a wolf below can probably be interpreted as heraldic animals and the tankard Could Possibly therefore be a wedding gift of princely or royal provenance. With minor shrinkage cracks and minor signs of aging. Height: 67 cm.
Hampel. Thursday, September 22, 2016