An extremely rare & important parcel gilt naturalistic combination chamberstick/inkstand. Made in London in 1838 by William Bateman II.
An extremely rare & important parcel gilt naturalistic combination chamberstick/inkstand. Made in London in 1838 by William Bateman II.
374577
This very rare piece has a silver circular base, which is plain in design. The naturalistic taper candle holders are silver gilt and beautifully modelled as flower heads, with trailing foliage and tendrils below. The round handle is modelled as the plant stem and displays a finely detailed butterfly sitting on the top. A conical extinguisher, with textured base, is attached to the handle and the cut glass inkwell sits in a circular cradle and displays a gilded cover which unscrews. This piece is in quite excellent condition and the detail is quite remarkable. The differences in the colour of the base and the gilded decoration is quite striking and this is most certainly a piece which has seen little use over the years, as it is in excellent, crisp, condition. This beautiful piece is also marked in no less than seven places. This is the first time we have seen such an object, and it may well have seen a special commission. The quality of design and production is quite outstanding.
Height to the top of the butterfly: 2.7 inches, 6.75 cm.
Diameter of the base: 4.9 inches, 12.25 cm.
Weight: 10cm.
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