London, 1813
William Elliott
The extremely high-quality, crater-shaped vessels from the Regency period are worked in heavy sterling silver with naturalistically modeled elements, some of them “en relief”, as well as fully sculpted in antique form as wine coolers. Horns of plenty with fruit serve as powerful handles and lush vine leaves with grapes decorate the garb.
On June 18, 1872, the vases were presented as a gift for the marriage of Prince Hermann of Hatzfeld zu Trachenberg to Countess Natalie of Benckendorff in Berlin. Duke of Hatzfeld was an important Prussian politician, civil servant and major general from Silesia. He was chairman of the New Faction of Big Landowners and a hereditary member of the Prussian House of Lords from 1878. His wife served as the Empress Frederick's Mistress of the Robes.
Natalie's older brother, Count Alexander von Benckendorff, was Russian ambassador in London and gave the vases to his sister as a wedding present.
Height: 32 cm, total weight 5100 g