The Royal Ice Pail by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell
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This incredible ice pail hails from the Grand Service made for George IV by Rundell, Bridge & Rundel
Key Features
- An extraordinary rare Royal silver ice pale by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell
- The pail was owned by the Duke of Cumberland, King of Hanover
- The firm was the official silversmiths to the Royal family
- To find an article with such a significant provenance is unimaginably rare
- Circa 1821
Item Details
- Period:
18th Century - Origin:
England/Ireland
By far the greatest silver service ever created was the "Grand Service" made by Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for King George IV of England. It took approximately 10 years to complete and cost an amazing £100,000 (this is about $15 million in today's money). The great majority of this service resides in Windsor Castle and is still used by the Queen.
There were six of the magnificent ice-pails made for the Royal family by Rundell Bridge & Rundell. In 1837, King William IV died and Queen Victoria assumed the throne of England and her uncle, King George III's son, The Duke of Cumberland, became King of Hanover. The king took two of the ice-pails with his coat of arms on them along with a good bit of other Royal Silver and went to Germany. This infuriated Queen Victoria so much that she sued (unsuccessfully) to get what she perceived as her silver back! In 1866 Hanover fell to Prussian troops and the Royal Silver was smuggled to Gmunden, Austria. It was eventually sold in 1923. One of the two Royal ice-pails eventually went to a museum and the other, the last remaining ice-pail, outside of Windsor Palace from the Royal Family, went to an Austrian collector. We were able to acquire this Royal ice-pail!
It is hard to explain how impressive this piece is. It is actually much more incredible than the Queen's piece because the Duke, when he realized that he was going to be the King, ordered two matching silver plateaus from Rundell, Bridge & Rundell to put under these masterpieces. The Ice Pail bears a giant silver crest of the Duke of Cumberland.
Please note the photograph of the Queen with the Ice Pail taken at the Windsor Palace. It helps show how important this piece is.
Rundell, Bridge & Rundell was the greatest supplier of Royal goods ever. They hired the greatest talent to craft the finest pieces. It is widely assumed that the great John Flaxman himself designed the Ice Pails for the Royal family (the very first 'modern' piece ever acquired by the British Museum was a Flaxman piece). This service was their grandest achievement. The Ice Pails were the centerpiece of this magnificent service, giving testament to their importance, and this is the only known Royal Ice Pail that will (almost certainly) ever come on the market. It is not only exceptionally rare, highly important, and in phenomenal condition (the finial is a later replacement), but it is also amazing, impressive and extremely beautiful!
There were six of the magnificent ice-pails made for the Royal family by Rundell Bridge & Rundell. In 1837, King William IV died and Queen Victoria assumed the throne of England and her uncle, King George III's son, The Duke of Cumberland, became King of Hanover. The king took two of the ice-pails with his coat of arms on them along with a good bit of other Royal Silver and went to Germany. This infuriated Queen Victoria so much that she sued (unsuccessfully) to get what she perceived as her silver back! In 1866 Hanover fell to Prussian troops and the Royal Silver was smuggled to Gmunden, Austria. It was eventually sold in 1923. One of the two Royal ice-pails eventually went to a museum and the other, the last remaining ice-pail, outside of Windsor Palace from the Royal Family, went to an Austrian collector. We were able to acquire this Royal ice-pail!
It is hard to explain how impressive this piece is. It is actually much more incredible than the Queen's piece because the Duke, when he realized that he was going to be the King, ordered two matching silver plateaus from Rundell, Bridge & Rundell to put under these masterpieces. The Ice Pail bears a giant silver crest of the Duke of Cumberland.
Please note the photograph of the Queen with the Ice Pail taken at the Windsor Palace. It helps show how important this piece is.
Rundell, Bridge & Rundell was the greatest supplier of Royal goods ever. They hired the greatest talent to craft the finest pieces. It is widely assumed that the great John Flaxman himself designed the Ice Pails for the Royal family (the very first 'modern' piece ever acquired by the British Museum was a Flaxman piece). This service was their grandest achievement. The Ice Pails were the centerpiece of this magnificent service, giving testament to their importance, and this is the only known Royal Ice Pail that will (almost certainly) ever come on the market. It is not only exceptionally rare, highly important, and in phenomenal condition (the finial is a later replacement), but it is also amazing, impressive and extremely beautiful!
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Price: $1,500,000
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