Outstanding Silver Equine Related Wine Ewer Jug, Barnard, London, 1864

Outstanding silver equine related wine ewer jug, Edward & John Barnard, London, 1864. The Ewer of an undulating almost proto Art Nouveau form, richly embellished scroll and shell foliage against part stippled background. Original gilded interior. Measures approximately: 16 x 9 x 7 inches. Weight: Approximately: 71 oz. The sides of the ewer having two reserve panels with horses in low relief, the lower handle terminal as a horse’s head, the front with two putti. The Barnard records describe it as in the “Louis Quatorze” style followed by the parenthetical qualification “style irrégulier,” indicating the Rococo Revival. This piece was designed by Louis-Victor Fréret for Barnard. In 1841, Fréret was in the employ of Mortimer and Hunt, successor to Storr & Mortimer. That year, Fréret, created a trophy the Queen’s Vase that would be awarded to the winner of the 1841 Queen’s Vase horse race. The Queen’s Vase for 1841 was not a vase or cup as such, but a small-scale sculpture in silver. By mid-1853, Fréret was employed by the firm of Edward Barnard & Sons, the largest silver manufacturer in England. Barnard’s factory ledgers or daybooks provide some insight as to Fréret’s activity for that firm. Fréret’s name was found in conjunction with twenty-four entries in the period from August 1853 to December 1864, which included two ewers. Another remarkable Barnard piece identified with Fréret is a ewer and Stand, made in 1859 for the retail silversmith, West & Son of Dublin for the Howth horse races, awarded by Archibald, 13th Earl of Eglinton, Lord Lieutenant (Viceroy) of Ireland. The Ewer offered here is identical to the Ewer portion of the Howth trophy.