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26 - PART OF THE TABLE SERVICE OF KING GEORGE III OF ENGLAND FROM…
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Estimate €10,000 - €15,000
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Description
PART OF THE TABLE SERVICE OF KING GEORGE III OF ENGLAND FROM THE LOUIS XVI PERIOD By Claude-Auguste Aubry, Paris, 1783-1784 Threaded model without shoulder, engraved with the monogram RG / III stamped with a crown, comprising : - 23 table forks (one later stamped 'Bunsen-Hanover- 15 lot') - 24 table spoons - 22 table knives (including four with serrated blades), stainless steel blades - 2 stewing spoons Weight without knives: 4 Kg 660 (71) Origin : King George III (1760-1820) of England, Ireland, and Hanover, then by descent to the royal family until the death of King William IV in 1837, then to his brother, Ernest-Auguste, 1st Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover (r.1837-1851), then by descent to his son, George V of Hanover, 2nd Duke of Cumberland (1819-1878) and King until 1866, then by descent to his son, Ernest-Auguste II, Crown Prince of Hanover, III Duke of Cumberland (1845-1923), sold in 1923 to J. Glückseligund Sohn (1911-1938) Stallburggasse 2, Vienna, sold in 1924 to Crichton Brothers, London, Louis Cartier (1875-1942), then his son, Claude Cartier (1925-1975), Estate of Mr Claude Cartier from the collection of his parents Mr and Mrs Louis Cartier, Sotheby's Monaco sale, 27 November 1979, lot 826 (part of lot), Axel Vervoordt, 1986, Onzea-Govaerts Collection, Belgium. Bibliography: L. Seelig, The Silver Society Journal, The Dinner Service made for George III by Robert-Joseph Auguste and Frantz-Peter Bunsen, no. 28, 2012. A Louis XVI silver royal part table service, by Claude-Auguste Aubry, Paris, 1783-1784 THE TABLE SERVICE OF KING GEORGE III OF ENGLAND The King George III service is considered to be one of the most important French services delivered at the end of the eighteenth century that has survived to the present day. George III had succeeded his grandfather, George I, as Elector of Hanover. Although he never visited Hanover, George III was very involved with the principality. In 1770, he ordered two large services, the first, the Hanoverian service for 60 to 72 people, the second, the Hildesheim service for 30 to 32 people. The famous Parisian silversmith Robert-Joseph Auguste was chosen in 1772 to make the Hanoverian service, later referred to in the archives as "Service A". As soon as he received the first pieces, the king, as a cost-saving measure, had them copied by the Hanover court silversmith, Frantz Peter Bunsen, who used silver with a high titre of 15 lots to match the Parisian silver titre. The cutlery was part of the fourth delivery, by far the largest, made in September 1784 and comprising 216 plates, various dishes and 144 sets of cutlery. The cutlery, as was customary for these large services, had been subcontracted. Robert-Joseph Auguste turned to Claude-Auguste Aubry. Aubry, who had become a master in 1758 after an apprenticeship with Jacques Duguay and Simon Gallien, specialised in cutlery, working regularly for Auguste and supplying, among others, a dessert service for Empress Catherine II of Russia. George III's service was widely used at court entertainments and by King George III's three younger sons, who attended the University of Göttingen and spent much time in Hanover. However, after Napoleon's invasion in 1803, the service was sent to Windsor Castle. In 1805, it was used at a large German celebration described by Miss Lucy Kennedy, Queen Charlotte's lady-in-waiting: "great preparations have been going on for a month, new furniture, pictures moved and ... there is also the magnificent silver brought from Hanover" (Kennedy Diary, The MS Diary of Miss Lucy Kennedy, Royal Library Windsor, quoted in Olwen Hedley Queen Charlotte, 1975, pp. 221-222). The service then remained at Windsor until 1814, when it was finally returned to Hanover, which had been raised to kingdom status under Ernest-Augustus of Hanover (1771-1851), Duke of Cumberland, crowned in 1837. Plates, dishes and cutlery by Franz Anton Nübell and Johann Christian Peter Neuthard were added, and a few aesthetic changes were made to accommodate the new fashion for Russian-style service. However, Ernest-Auguste did not have his father's coat of arms added to 2226 pieces until 1841. During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Hanover was invaded and absorbed into the new German Empire. The service was sent to Austria and in 1924 a large part of it was sold to the dealer J. Glückselig und Sohn. Glückselig und Sohn sold it to the English dealers Crichton Brothers the same year. Louis Cartier then acquired part of the set, including the cutlery, which was later sold at Sotheby's Monaco on 25-27 November 1979, while the other part was acquired by the French branch of the Rothschild family. A large part of this service is displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The monogram is that of George III (1760-1820), King of England, Ireland and Hanover. hallmarks: charge, letter-date (U), master-goldsmith and discharge The 23rd fork is hallmarked "BUNSEN - HANOVER - 15 LOT".
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About the sale Furniture and Works of Art - Evening Sale (Lot 1-170)
Auction location
Auction time 06/16/2026 at 5:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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