'THE BARON LIONEL DE ROTHSCHILD GERMAN SILVER SOLDIERS'

'THE BARON LIONEL DE ROTHSCHILD GERMAN SILVER SOLDIERS'

A VERY RARE PAIR OF GERMAN SILVER-GILT FIGURES OF SOLDIERS

PROBABLY AUGSBURG, UNMARKED, LATE 16TH / EARLY 17TH CENTURY

both kneeling, one holding a crossbow, the other with a sword, each with articulated hands, on raised naturalistic rocky bases on a circular pierced foot with trefoil decoration, wear to gilding

12.3cm and 12.5cm, 12.3oz (385g)

Provenance

Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808-1879) at 148 Piccadilly, London

Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918) the Lawrence Room, Halton House, Buckinghamshire

Lionel de Rothschild (1882-1942)

Edmund de Rothschild (1916-2009)

The Trustees of Exbury House

Literature

Rothschild Archive, London, Manuscript 000/176/11, 'The Division of the property of the late Baron Lionel de Rothschild between Sir Nathaniel de Rothschild, Leopold de Rothschild, Esq., and Alfred de Rothschild, Esq., 1881'. Listed as 'Two kneeling figures' and recorded as going to Alfred.

Rothschild Archive, London, Manuscript: 000/174/C/3, Christie, Manson & Woods Probate Valuation of 'The Estate of Alfred C. de Rothschild, Esq. C.V.O. Deceased, Halton House Tring'. 1918. Listed as 'Two German silver figures of men, on circular plinths pierced with Gothic foliage, late 16th century £100.0.0.'

Charles Davis, 'A Description of the Works of Art Forming the Collection of Alfred de Rothschild', 1884, p.262, no.365, 'Two silver-gilt soldiers in early sixteenth-century costume. They are both kneeling, one has an arquebus and the other a sword. The stands are decorated with a diagonal pattern border, German work of the beginning of the sixteenth century. Height 5in'

Catalogue Note

These exquisitely modelled silver figures depict soldiers wearing early 16th century costume. The detail is quite astonishing with incredible attention to detail to the folds of the clothing, the feathers in their hats and the characterisation in their faces. The rocky bases were perhaps originally enamelled and they are very unusual in having articulated hands. They recall a much larger German silver automaton figure by Wolf Christoph Ritter now on display at the British Museum as part of the Waddesdon Bequest. The base has a clockwork mechanism which propels the figure across a table and perhaps our figures had some mechanism to move the articulated hands.

The soldiers being offered were formerly in the collection of Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808­ 1879). Lionel Nathan de Rothschild was the eldest son of Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777­ 1836) and after spells working for the family bank in Paris, London and Frankfurt, he became the head of the London house of NM Rothschild & Sons in 1836 at the age of 28. His London home was 148 Piccadilly which had sumptuous French Louis XVI style

interiors. 148 Piccadilly was home to Lionel's fabulous art collection which he had developed during his apprenticeship in Europe. The collection which was divided amongst his three sons was dominated by Old Masters, many of which were acquired from

the Van Loon collection, but also featured fine French furniture and Renaissance works of art including silver and early rock crystals. The collection is mentioned by Waagen in 'Art Treasures in Great Britain', 1854.