A Meissen Böttger stoneware tankard

A Meissen Böttger stoneware tankard

Polished red Böttger stoneware with silver mountings. Cylindrical polished Böttger stoneware tankard on a moulded base. The lid with an assay mark and unidentified maker's mark GHR. Small cracks in the silver next to the thumbrest. The lid with assay mark and unidentified maker's mark GHR. H 25.5 cm.
Circa 1710, the silver mountings Lübeck, circa 1730 - 40.

The medal on the front of this piece depicts a temple with an altar in the centre inscribed "WILH. IN. ANGL. REX" upon which stands a bust of King William III of Orange-Nassau (1650 - 1702) flanked by shields and genii. Four figures stand beneath the columns, labelled below as Russel, Ashby, Delaval and Allemonde - the Dutch and British admirals responsible for the victory against the French fleet at La Hougue on 24th May 1692. The architrave above the columns reads "MEMORIAE AETERNAE" (in eternal memory). The silver lid and mountings were added to the tankard later, but the medal indicates a former Dutch owner.

Provenance

Acquired in 1988 from Kunsthandel Zemlin, Hannover.

Literature

Illustrated in cat. Blütenlese. Meißener Porzellan aus der Sammlung Tono Dreßen, Munich 2018, p. 212, pl. 2.