PREVIEW: SELECTED SILVER AND OBJECTS OF VERTU 29 NOVEMBER

Among the finest and most sought-after decorative silver objects, fashioned as birds and beasts, were those made by German workshops towards the end of the 19th century.

Now Noonans are to offer a fine collection of a dozen such pieces – ‘A Menagerie of Silver’ – including several examples from the leading German silversmiths, Neresheimer & Söhne of Hanau, alongside items from other notable makers.

A rare Dutch silver decanter modelled as a barn owl heads the list. With import marks for Samuel Boyce (or Boaz) Landeck, of London 1898, the large stately owl stands tall at 28.5cm, with glass bead eyes, the detachable head enclosing a lipped pierced grill. Boyce was a master silversmith from the Netherlands based in Campden Square, London, and was an importer of fine Continental and foreign silverware. Weighing approximately 25oz, the piece is estimated at £4,000-6,000.

Three lots form the pick of the Neresheimer & Söhne offering. Neresheimer & Söhne excelled in the fine modelling of their silver birds and animals, creating a startling realism in their works. A top choice for any collector would be the large silver standing elephant table ornament. Beautifully detailed, and modelled in ponderous walking mode, it stands 19cm high x 35cm long, and weighs a substantial 61oz. With its detachable head revealing import marks JGP for J.G. Piddington, 1902, it is a rare subject and carries an estimate of £3,000-5,000.

Another unusual example from the German workshops is the large silver hare table ornament, circa 1900, again realistically modelled with finely textured fur, the hare is seated on its hind legs, with an enquiring gaze, and stands 26cm high. Weighing 27oz, it is also guided at £3,000-5,000.

The same estimate applies to a seated cat table ornament, circa 1900, again by Neresheimer & Söhne. It is enhanced with a vari-coloured cabochon set collar, hoop earrings, and green glass cabochon eyes, modelled with its tail neatly curled around its feet. The head is detachable and bears import marks for IEM, London 1900. At 23cm high, it weighs 20oz.

No collection can be without examples of Neresheimer’s birds – these must have been immensely popular and commercial when first produced at the Hanau workshops, as they were produced in great number, and in great variety. Favourites in this collection would perhaps be the watchful heron, its head sunk low on its chest, but ever vigilant, standing at 27.5cm high, and estimated at £3000-4000, or maybe the elegant stork, tall and slender, with a quizzical look in its eye, also 27.5cm high and expected to realise £2,000-3,000. A classic pair of Neresheimer game birds, two large silver pheasants, at 26cm and 24cm high, are also expected to fetch £2,000-3,000.

English silver works also feature in the Collection. A pair of Victorian silver lion salts, by the fine London silversmiths Daniel and Charles Houle, dated London 1872, are of similar design to the British Museum lions that once graced the railings outside the Museum. These seated lion salts, with pull-off heads, are raised on lozenge-shaped bases, and each 7.2cm high. They are pitched at £3,000-5,000.

James Charles Edington entered his first mark as a silversmith in London in 1828. Working out of Soho, he produced tableware, fittings and household objects, but also created stunning works of art, such as the silver model of a cockatoo offered here dating to 1858. Perched on a branch, and raised on a rocky and foliate decorated base, with hinged head, the whole extends to 36cm in height and is being offered at £3,000-4,000.

Owls are a perennial favourite. A large sugar caster modelled as a cheeky owl, by George Richards & Edward Brown of London, is dated 1865. It has textured feathers and glass eyes, with pull-off cover, weighs just over10oz and stands 17cm high. The estimate is £3,000-4,000.

“This is a unique offering to complement our burgeoning consignments of high-quality jewellery and watches, which have brought some remarkable results in the past few months,” says Noonans’ chairman and CEO Pierce Noonan.

“An appreciation of fine craftsmanship and historical significance lies at the heart of what we do, and this Silver Menagerie is an excellent example of the high-quality work of European and English silversmiths at the late 19th and into the 20th century.”