Lot 53. A rare late 17th century silver parcel gilt small chinoiserie tankard, circa 1685. Estimate £15000–25000. Photo Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions

unmarked but with 1814-1893 Dutch tax/census marks (crowned V), with a Chinese dragon thumbpiece to the cover, an S-scroll handle engraved with Chinese style flowers and foliage, the cover and three panels on the body all different with raised landscapes on matted grounds, the cover with a pheasant beneath a flowering bush, two birds flying above, the body with a pine tree and rockwork with a stag and hind; a flowering bush with rockwork and two dogs; and a blossoming tree with rockwork and a phoenix above, on a moulded foot, 12cm (4 3/4in) high, 528g (17 oz). Hinge tight, cover sits tightly, slightly high on one side, small crease in rim towards front, some rubbing to gilding but generally very good, light scratches and footrim nicks consistant with age and light use 

Notes: This tankard forms part of a small group of silver dating from the last quarter of the 17th century with Chinese decoration in relief. This relief decoration makes the group stand out from the more common flat chased chinoiserie decoration in vogue at the time. The flat chased chinoiserie silver is of unquestionably English origin however recent research into the rare pieces with cast and chased decoration like this tankard has shown that some are Chinese and retailed in England. Some are hallmarked in England, for instance the tea pot of London 1682 from the estate of Samuel Wagstaffe (Christie's New York, 18th April 1989, lot 589), and some are made by London makers in imitation of Chinese examples.

This last group includes several items by David Willaume, including a brazier of 1698 with chased but not cast decoration of panels of Chinese decoration (see Brett, Vanessa The Sotheby's Directory of Silver 1600-1940 , no. 628), three tea bowls of 1712 (see Glanville, Philippa Silver in England , fig. 93) and an unmarked covered bowl on stand in the Royal Collection attributed to Willaume. A few other pieces are known with other maker's marks such as PD crowned on a snuff box said to have been given by Charles II to Nell Gwynn, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. PD crowned also appears on a pair of silver gilt twin handled cups offered at Christie's New York, 19th April 1990, lot 363. 

In the course of cataloguing the present tankard a spectrographic analysis was carried out by the London Assay Office which found the silver impurity levels consistent with it being of 16th-17th century age and of sterling (.925) standard, thus pointing to an English, rather than Chinese, origin. The pieces now known to be of Chinese origin have been found to be made from a silver alloy of a higher standard. 

As far as the present cataloguers have been able to ascertain there is no other example of a tankard from this very rare group. 

Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions. Fine Jewellery, Watches, Silver and Objects of Vertu, Thursday 14 July 2016, 10.00am