A Fabergé Elephant Match-Holder

A rare late 19^th century Fabergé match-holder, humorously modelled as an elephant, is expected to sell for £10,000-15,000 when it comes up at Tennants Auctioneers, as part of the Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 15^th March (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). The elephant’s body is made from an ovoid piece of sandstone, whilst its trunk, legs, ears and tail are modelled in silver and the eyes are set with garnets. Made circa 1890, the elephant bears the mark for the Fabergé workmaster Julius Rappoport.

By the vendor’s family tradition, the elephant was gifted to a member of the Cullingworth family, who were working at Clifton Castle, North Yorkshire in the mid-19^th century, and has since passed by descent to the current owner. It was given to the Cullingworths by Lieutenant Colonel Assheton Penn Curzon-Howe-Herrick and his wife Joan.

The Curzon-Howe family were remarkably well connected through the 20^th century. Lieutenant Colonel Assheton Penn Curzon-Howe-Herrick (1898-1959), who likely previously owned, by inheritance, the present elephant, was the son of Sir Assheton Gore Curzon-Howe K.C.B., C.M.G., C.V.O. (1850-1911), the celebrated British naval officer who was, for a time, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. Sir Assheton in turn was the son of Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1^st Earl Howe (1796-1870) and counted the 2^nd and 3^rd Earls Howe as his brothers through his father’s first marriage.

The extensive nature of the network of the family is perhaps best illustrated by reviewing the list of the invited guests to Sir Assheton’s wedding in 1892, at St Mark’s church, North Audley Street, London, to Alice Anne Cowell, daughter of General Right Hon. Sir John Cowell, of Clifton Castle. The invitees, as recorded in a contemporary report published in the Yorkshire Herald on 27 February 1892, include a veritable who’s who of European royalty and British aristocracy. The report further shows the event to have been a lavish affair, noting:

“The bride looked very handsome in her bridal costume of rich white corded silk, draped with fine Brussels lace and trimmed with sprays of orange blossom. Her veil was fastened to the hair by a large diamond star and was surmounted by a wreath of orange blossom. She wore a magnificent diamond and turquoise bangle, a present from her Majesty, who also sent the bridal bouquet of choice exotics. Her other ornament was a diamond cross, the gift of the bridegroom. The bridesmaids were Miss Marie Cowell, sister of the bride, Lady Alexandra Hamilton and Lady Gladys Hamilton, nieces of the bridegroom, Miss May McNeil, and Miss Frances Whyley. They were attired alike in charming gowns of white bengaline edged in white fur and trimmed with silver embroidery with hats en suite.”

The report goes on to provide a list some of the wedding gifts given to the couple, presented, as the guest list would suggest, by royalty and the aristocracy:

“Her Majesty presented the bride with a handsome Indian shawl, a turquoise and diamond bangle, and the bridal bouquet of choice exotics; the Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales gave a travelling clock to Captain Curzon; the Grand Duke of Hesse sent an embossed silver box; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, silver bowl; the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, a tortoiseshell clock; the Marchioness of Lorne, a jewelled spray; Prince and Princess Henry of Battenberg, a jewelled pin; the Duchess of Albany, silver mounted inkstand; the Prince of Leiningen, silver coffee pot; Prince Louis of Battenberg, pair of silver candlesticks; the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn, diamond pin and ring.”

Sadly, no mention is made of the present elephant, though the list does go on to note ‘The other presents were numerous.’ It is of course also possible that the elephant was purchased by Sir Assheton, the St Peterburg hallmark is that used from 1882-1899 which fits in with his wedding, or given to him as a gift on another occasion.

The wider family were well aware of the firm of Fabergé, particularly its London branch, which opened in 1903, through the role of Richard George Pen Curzon, 4^th Earl Howe (1861-1929) as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Alexandra. Around this time Henry Charles Bainbridge, Fabergé’s agent in London, instigated a project that has become known as the Sandringham commission. This saw Fabergé send to London the artist Boris Frödman-Cluzel who prepared wax models of various animals on the Sandringham estate. These wax models were translated in the workshops of Fabergé into, mostly, hardstone models which were then sold either directly to the King and Queen or to members of their inner court to be presented to their royal highnesses. The only two examples not made in hardstone were the models of Vassilka, the borzoi, and Persimmon, one of Edward VII’s racehorses, which were produced in silver, presumably as their long legs made them unsuitable for carving in hardstone. The model of Vassilka was purchased by Earl Howe on 5 November 1909 from Fabergé to be given as a gift to the Queen. The model remains in the Royal Collection to this day.

The connection between Earl Howe and Queen Alexandra seems to have been close, and the gift giving reciprocal. Following his death in 1929 the 4^th Earl Howe lists of number of items in his will which had been given to him by the late Queen.

Humorously modelled silver-mounted sandstone match holders in the form of animals, such as the present example were made in various forms. Perhaps the closest to the present elephant was one previously in the collection of His Royal Highness the Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and which was sold by Christie’s 25 November 2013 as lot 225. Another example, formed as a rhinoceros was sold by Bonhams (26 November 2014, lot 156) and one formed as a pig was sold by Sotheby’s (12 June 2008, lot 653).

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