Beschreibung:

A fine George IV silver-gilt presentation vase and stand, by Philip Rundell London 1823, also stamped 'RUNDELL BRIDGE ET RUNDELL AURIFIES REGIS LONDINI', the tapering vase of tapering circular form, one side unmounted cavalry offices meeting Indian troops, the other side with an officer on foot with an infantry man and three Indian solders, and trailing grapevines on a matted background, above an acanthus leaf border, with acanthus leaf mounted bi-furcated snake handles, on a raised fluted circular foot, the stand of square form, with each corner applied with an elephant's head and foliate scroll decoration, applied with two armorials and two presentation plaques, ' A TRIBUTE OF GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE FROM THE OFFICERS OF THE HYDERABAD DIVISION OF H.H. THE NIZAM'S REGULAR TROOPS TO HENRY RUSSELL ESQUIRE', on four square bracket feet, total height 71.5cm, height of vase 40.5cm, height of stand 31cm, width of vase handle to handle 37cm, width of base 25.3cm, approx. weight 546oz, (17kg). ** Provenance: Sir Henry Russell, (1783-1852) 2nd Baronet, and thence by descent to the current owner. Henry Russell sailed with his father in 1797 to India, where his father took up his appointment as a judge. He was employed in the translators office, and soon became fluent in Indian languages. Four years later he became assistant secretary to the Resident at Hyderabad, James Achilles Kirkpatrick, and in 1804 he became chief secretary. After Kirkpatrick's death in 1805, Henry Russell embarked on an affair with his widow Khair-un-Nissa,. The story of this relationship is told in William Dalrymple's book 'White Mughals', Harper Collins, 2002. In 1808 he married Jane Casamajor in Madras, but she sadly died a month later. He went on to become The British Resident at Hyderabad from 1810-20, and in 1816 he married Marie Mottet de la Fontain, daughter of the last French Governor of Pondicherry. During this period he organised what was called the 'Russell Brigade', which was four thousand of the Nizam's irregular cavalry under British Officers. It was in gratitude for this that the vase and dinner service were presented to him. After returning from the Indian service Henry Russell bought Swallowfield Park near Reading, where he lived until his death in 1852. Extract from 'Swallowfield and Its Owners', by Constance, Lady Russell, Longmans, Green, Meo, 1901 in respect to the vase, she wrote: "There is at Swallowfield a very handsome large gilt vase on a pedestal which was presented to Henry Russell by his subordinates and friends in India. Chantrey (Sir Henry Chantrey, Sculptor) was consulted for the design and chose a plate from Piranesi for the form of the vase. He then proposed that two different groups, capable of telling the story of what had led to the presentation of the vase, should be placed on two sides of it and that for the designs of those groups Stothard, (Thomas Stothard R. A,1755-1834) should be consulted. He suggested that a tiger should be placed on the centre of the lid (now missing), and elephant's heads at the four angles of the pedestals, and that instead of the imaginary serpent given in Piranesi on each handle, a real serpent should be modelled from life. When Stothart's designs and a drawing of the whole vase by Burney a well known artist of the day, where submitted to Chantrey he approve entirely. He said that the pedestal might sometimes be used without the vase to hold a basket of flowers for the middle of the table, and to show what he meant he made a hasty sketch with a pen. The tiger, elephant's heads and the serpent were modelled from life by Bailey R.A. the cost of the vase was £1100 in 1822".