Essex Jewelry and Antiques
4 Ornate 1893 English Sterling Silver Openwork Baskets from Vanderbilt Estate
Regular price
$9,737.00
Presented is a fantastic quality set of four antique English Victorian sterling silver oval baskets, dating to 1893 and made by Charles Johnston Hill. The set consists of one large basket and three smaller baskets, and the larger basket has a removable tinned or other metal liner, with a burgundy velvet exterior. The baskets are very ornate, with openwork lattice designs around the sides that have little flowers at the intersections, as well as cast and applied floral garlands supported by ram's heads around the rim. The ends have lion's head masks, holding ring form handles in their mouths. Each basket stands on four foliate scroll form feet. On both of the longer sides of each basket is an oval cartouche. One cartouche has a very intricately engraved monogram of FAVT in foliate script, while the other is blank, so the baskets could easily be displayed with the monogrammed sides to a wall/back of a shelf. This set came to us with other pieces from a Vanderbilt estate, and based on the date and the initials we think it is likely this set was owned by Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly (b.1854 – d.1952), grand-daughter of American business magnate Cornelius “The Commodore” Vanderbilt.
This set is in excellent condition. There are no splits, no dents, no monogram removals, and no repairs. The removable liner of the largest basket has a burgundy velvet material covering the exterior, but this could easily be removed and replaced with whatever color you might prefer.
Each piece is hallmarked with the lion passant for sterling silver, the leopard's head for the city of London, and the maker's mark CJH beneath a crown, for Charles Johnston Hill, with the crown likely indicating a royal warrant to make items for the royal family. One of the smaller baskets has a date letter T for 1894, while the other three baskets have the date letter S, for 1893.
The larger basket measures about 14 1/4 by 11 1/4 by 6 inches, LxWxH. The smaller baskets measure about 9 by 6 7/8 by 3 1/2 inches, LxWxH. The total weight for the set, including the liner, is 3922 grams or 8.65 pounds.
The weight of just the sterling silver baskets, without the liner, is 3420 grams, or 120.6 regular ounces. -jm
This set is in excellent condition. There are no splits, no dents, no monogram removals, and no repairs. The removable liner of the largest basket has a burgundy velvet material covering the exterior, but this could easily be removed and replaced with whatever color you might prefer.
Each piece is hallmarked with the lion passant for sterling silver, the leopard's head for the city of London, and the maker's mark CJH beneath a crown, for Charles Johnston Hill, with the crown likely indicating a royal warrant to make items for the royal family. One of the smaller baskets has a date letter T for 1894, while the other three baskets have the date letter S, for 1893.
The larger basket measures about 14 1/4 by 11 1/4 by 6 inches, LxWxH. The smaller baskets measure about 9 by 6 7/8 by 3 1/2 inches, LxWxH. The total weight for the set, including the liner, is 3922 grams or 8.65 pounds.
The weight of just the sterling silver baskets, without the liner, is 3420 grams, or 120.6 regular ounces. -jm