A Baroque Augsburg silver coffer with a dedication from the Crown Prince of Prussia
A Baroque Augsburg silver coffer with a dedication from the Crown Prince of Prussia
Rectangular coffer with chamferred edges on eight compressed ball feet. Decorated to all sides with embossed and chased putti holding war trophies, the sloping sections and the basal rim with ruins and wooded landscapes. Corresponding decor to the lid. With original lock and key. The interior with an engraved dedication from the children and siblings of Emperor William II: "Dem Grafen Godard von Bentinck zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstage am 3. August 1927 (...) zum Zeugnis ihrer Verehrung und Dankbarkeit." W 22.5; D 17.5; H 11 cm, weight 745 g.
Marks of Hans Christoph I Petrus, 1663 - 66.
The first rumours of the German Emperor's abdication began to circle on 9th November 1918. On 11th November, Dutch newspapers reported seeing a party of 9 cars on the border at Eijsden at 6:00 on the previous morning. When the party asked for permission to cross the border, one of them introduced themselves with the words “I am William of Hohenzollern, Emperor of Germany”. Although the Allies tried to force Holland to hand over the German Emperor several times, the Dutch government decided to treat William and his retinue as political refugees, but were soon confronted with the question of where they should be housed. Through the mediation of the royal commissioner van Lynden, they were invited to Amerongen Palace by Count Bentinck, who had many family ties to the German aristocracy.
The Emperor and his party arrived there on 11th November 1918 with a delegation of the Dutch government. Their stay at Amerongen was originally planned for only three days, but ended up lasting until 14th May 1920. The royal family were then able to move into their newly purchased home in Doorn, just ten kilometres away. William II's children often visited Amerongen whilst in Doorn, especially after the death of their mother Empress Auguste Victoria and their father's subsequent marriage in 1922. They presented the Count with this coffer, presumably from the old Hohenzollern family silver, as a gift for his 70th birthday.
Provenance
Count Bentinck gave the coffer as a gift to the last retainer of Amerongen Palace and it has remained in family ownership ever since.
Literature
Similar Augsburg works illus. in: Seling 1980, no. 281, 552 f.
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A Baroque Augsburg silver coffer with a dedication from the Crown Prince of Prussia
Rectangular coffer with chamferred edges on eight compressed ball feet. Decorated to all sides with embossed and chased putti holding war trophies, the sloping sections and the basal rim with ruins and wooded landscapes. Corresponding decor to the lid. With original lock and key. The interior with an engraved dedication from the children and siblings of Emperor William II: "Dem Grafen Godard von Bentinck zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstage am 3. August 1927 (...) zum Zeugnis ihrer Verehrung und Dankbarkeit." W 22.5; D 17.5; H 11 cm, weight 745 g.
Marks of Hans Christoph I Petrus, 1663 - 66.
The first rumours of the German Emperor's abdication began to circle on 9th November 1918. On 11th November, Dutch newspapers reported seeing a party of 9 cars on the border at Eijsden at 6:00 on the previous morning. When the party asked for permission to cross the border, one of them introduced themselves with the words “I am William of Hohenzollern, Emperor of Germany”. Although the Allies tried to force Holland to hand over the German Emperor several times, the Dutch government decided to treat William and his retinue as political refugees, but were soon confronted with the question of where they should be housed. Through the mediation of the royal commissioner van Lynden, they were invited to Amerongen Palace by Count Bentinck, who had many family ties to the German aristocracy.
The Emperor and his party arrived there on 11th November 1918 with a delegation of the Dutch government. Their stay at Amerongen was originally planned for only three days, but ended up lasting until 14th May 1920. The royal family were then able to move into their newly purchased home in Doorn, just ten kilometres away. William II's children often visited Amerongen whilst in Doorn, especially after the death of their mother Empress Auguste Victoria and their father's subsequent marriage in 1922. They presented the Count with this coffer, presumably from the old Hohenzollern family silver, as a gift for his 70th birthday.
Provenance
Count Bentinck gave the coffer as a gift to the last retainer of Amerongen Palace and it has remained in family ownership ever since.
Literature
Similar Augsburg works illus. in: Seling 1980, no. 281, 552 f.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
