An extraordinary Victorian Silver-Mounted Green or Amber Glass Claret-Jug in the Form of a Squirrel is one of the rarest lots coming up in the Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 17th May (estimate: £5,000-8,000 plus buyer’s premium). This charming piece was made in 1882 by Alexander Crichton, a Scottish silversmith who found fame creating whimsical novelty silver-mounted claret-jugs and scent-bottles in forms such as dodo, a walrus, and a crocodile. He worked in partnership with fellow silversmith Charles John Curry from a base in Oxford Street, London, but the production of these claret-jugs was to be very short lived, with most of the known extant examples dating to 1881 or 1882. The squirrel is amongst the rarest form of these claret-jugs, with only two examples recorded; one with a silver tail that was previously owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and an example sold at Sotheby’s, Belgravia in November 1977. It is thought that the present example and the one sold in 1977 are likely one and the same, the vendor’s family having added to their collections in that decade.
Another fascinating lot in the sale is a George V Silver Copy of the Warwick Vase on a Silver-Mounted Ebonised Wood Plinth (estimate: £7,000-10,000 plus buyer’s premium). The Warwick Vase, now in the Burrell Collection, Glasgow, was discovered in the late 18th century by Scottish art dealer Gavin Hamilton at Hadrian's Villa in Rome. The vase, which is decorated with Bacchanalian motifs, was sold to Sir William Hamilton, British envoy at the court of Naples, and was passed down to his nephew George Greville, 2nd Earl of Warwick. In 1778 the celebrated engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi published two etchings of the vase once its restoration was complete, which undoubtedly added to the fame of the vase, and in the decades since it was discovered it was to prove a popular form for silversmiths to copy.
The jewellery section of the sale offers a good range of affordable period and modern pieces, and in this sale there is a particularly good range of unusual colourful pieces; notable lots include a Multi Gem-Set Necklace, which features more than 15 different colourful stones including agate and aquamarine (estimate: £400-600), an imposing Turquoise Ring (estimate: £200-300), and a Plique-à-Jour Enamel Scarf Clip in the form of a stylised fairy (estimate: £80-120). Good period jewellery is well represented, too, with an Edwardian Split Pearl, Green Garnet and Pink Stone Pendant on Chain (estimate: £300-500), and a Sapphire Star Brooch made circa 1880 (estimate: £200-300). Amongst the modern and designer pieces in the sale is a Pair of 18 Carat Gold Mother-of-Pearl Earrings by Bulgari (estimate: £300-500) and an abstract Necklace by Björn Weckström for the Finnish jewellery makers Lapponia (estimate: £150-200).
An interesting selection of watches are on offer, too, with one of the most unusual being a Large Silver “Patentee” Alarm Pocket Watch made by Viner of London in 1819 and engraved with a family crest (estimate: £1,000-1,500). A further unusual pocket watch is a circa 1910 18 Carat Gold Digital Display Pocket Watch (estimate: £400-500). Amongst the wristwatches are a good selection of pieces by Rolex, including a 1940s Gold Filled and Steel Rectangular Wristwatch ref: 2317 (estimate: £500-700), and a rare 1940s Stainless Steel Shockproof Sky Rocket Wristwatch made for the Canadian Royal Air Force (estimate: £300-400). Further highlights include a IWC Stainless Steel Square Shaped Centre Seconds Wristwatch made circa 1948 (estimate: £400-600), a 1952 Omega Stainless Steel Seamaster Wristwatch (estimate: £500-700), a 1920s National Watch Co. 18 Carat Gold Single Push Chronograph Wristwatch (estimate: £400-600), and a Tag Heuer Stainless Steel Automatic Calendar Carrera Calibre 6 Wristwatch (estimate: £600-800).
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