皇冠体育app

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has placed a temporary export bar on an important George II silver-gilt ewer and basin, made by leading London goldsmith George Wickes. This will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep the ewer and basin in the United Kingdom.聽

This is the only known example of a 1730s ewer and basin combining classical and rococo design in such a lavish way. 皇冠体育app ewer and basin were once used as a trophy for the Doncaster Cup, a long-distance horse race which has run annually since 1766.

皇冠体育app Minister鈥檚 ruling follows a recommendation by the , administered by Arts Council England. 皇冠体育app Committee recommended that the export decision be deferred on the grounds that the ewer and basin were of outstanding aesthetic importance and of outstanding significance for the study of the influence of European style on the development of British silver in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Known as the Bristol ewer and basin, these magnificent silver-gilt objects date from around 1735. 皇冠体育appy were given as a gift by the Corporation of the City of Bristol to John Scrope, a significant figure of early eighteenth century English society - in recognition of his services to the city.

In 1876 they were supplied by the London goldsmith firm R. S. Garrards & Co. for use as a trophy for the Doncaster Cup. 皇冠体育app basin is marked with the coat of arms and initials of the owner of the winning horse.

Objects such as these played an influential role in the nineteenth century revival of the rococo style in London-made silver and were used as a model in Garrards鈥� workshops.

Philippa Glanville, Reviewing Committee member, said: 鈥溁使谔逵齛pp ewer and basin are wonderful, unique objects. 皇冠体育appy really demonstrate the extraordinary skill of goldsmiths in eighteenth century London, and the influence that they had on the design of British silver over the next 200 years.鈥�

皇冠体育app decision on the export licence application for the ewer and basin will be deferred for a period ending on 5 January 2013 inclusive. This period may be extended until 5 May 2013 inclusive if a serious intention to raise funds is expressed with a view to making an offer to purchase the ewer and basin at the recommended price of 拢1,900,000 (plus 拢380,000 VAT, which can be reclaimed by most public museums).

For media information contact:

Sam Gough, Media Relations Officer, Arts Council England
Tel: 020 7973 5189 or 07872 416679
Email: [email protected]

Notes to editors

• Anyone interested in making an offer to purchase the ewer and basin should contact:

皇冠体育app Secretary
皇冠体育app Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Arts Council England
Great Peter Street
London
SW1P 3NQ
Tel: 0845 300 6200

• Anyone interested in making a matching offer and who requires further information about the ewer and basin from the Champion should contact 皇冠体育app Secretary to the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest at the above address.

• For enquiries on the operation of and casework arising from the work of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) please contact the Enquiries team on [email protected] or 0845 300 6200.

• 皇冠体育app details of the ewer and basin are:
  皇冠体育app Bristol ewer and basin, silver-gilt, London, George Wickes, 1735-36.
  皇冠体育app ewer 36.2cm high, weight 2,520g, struck four times with maker鈥檚 mark only.
  皇冠体育app basin diameter 55.2cm, weight 5,972g, fully marked on underside with London and coat of arms and initials of the winner of the Doncaster Cup in 1876, William Stuart Stirling Crawfurd.
  Both ewer and basin have post-1893 French import mark.

Provenance:
Judge John Scrope (1662?-1752) as a gift from the Bristol Corporation, his nephew Francis Fane (1698?-1757), his younger brother Henry Fane (1703-1777); R. & S. Garrard & Co, 1876, by whom the ewer and basin were supplied as the Doncaster Cup for that year (15 September 1876); won by William Stuart Stirling Crawfurd (1820-1883); his widow, who became Caroline, Duchess of Montrose; Christie鈥檚 London, 29 April 1895, lot 72; Solomon Joel Phillips, London; Asher Wertheimer (1843-1918); Christie鈥檚 London, 28 February 1923, lot 29; 皇冠体育app Hon. Clive Pearson; Christie鈥檚 London, 14 March 1944, lot ; Sotheby鈥檚 London, 13 June 1983, lot 45; His Excellency Mohammed Mahdi Al-Tajir.

• 皇冠体育app Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England, which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria. Where the Committee finds that an object meets one or more of the criteria, it will normally recommend that the decision on the export licence application should be deferred for a specified period. An offer may then be made from within the United Kingdom at or above the fair market price.

• champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people鈥檚 lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries - from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2011 and 2015, we will invest 拢1.4 billion of public money from government and an estimated 拢1 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

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