Beschreibung:

A cased Victorian silver-gilt-mounted claret jug, John Figg London, 1859
The ovoid glass body etched with the arms and emblems surrounded by fruiting vine ornament, the base and lip decorated with masks, the handle formed as a Bacchante and child, the unmarked stopper formed as a crest, the base with presentation inscription from The Ironmongers' Company to John Nicholl F.S.A., in original brass-mounted wood case,41cm., 16in. highCondition reportTo request a Condition Report, please contact Scarlett.RoseAtkinson@sothebys.com.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.Catalogue noteThe arms are those of The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, London; Nicholl, as granted to John Nicholl (1790-1871) of Theydon Garnon, Essex, and Canonbury Place, Islington; and of Rahn.
John Nicholl, a commission agent and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London, was born at Stratford Green, Essex, on 19 April 1790, the only son of John Nicholl, a brewer, and Mary, daughter of Joseph Miller of Nash Hall, Essex. He was married on 5 October 1822 to Elizabeth Sarah, daughter and heiress of John Rahn of Enfield, Middlesex, and a direct descendant of August Caspar von Rahn who arrived in England at the time of the accession of George II.
Nicholl was enabled by an ample fortune to pursue uninterruptedly his researches in heraldry and genealogy. In 1843 he was elected F.S.A., and in 1859 he served as master of the Ironmongers' Company.
Nicholl collected genealogical notes made in Essex churches in six folio volumes, and filled three folio volumes with Essex pedigrees, and three others with pedigrees of the various families of Nicholl, Nicholls, or Nichols. Of the latter he made three copies, two of which he bequeathed to his own children, and a smaller third copy was left to the College of Arms. Nicholl also compiled, in three volumes, a series of genealogical miscellanea and architectural and landscape sketches and paintings made during two tours made to the continent in 1842 and 1843. In addition, he left manuscript collections for the history of Islington and notes on biblical criticism.
Using the archives of the Ironmongers' Company, he compiled a history of the company in seven folio volumes, embellished with armorial bearings and illuminated initials, and illustrated with drawings of buildings and costumes. The first six of these volumes were presented to the company between 1840 and 1844. Materials relating to his descriptions of buildings are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 1851 he printed for private circulation Some account of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, of which an improved edition was printed in 1866.
John Nicholl died at Canonbury Place on 7 February 1871.
(Sir Bernard Burke, A Selection of Arms Authorized by The Laws of Heraldry, London, 1860, pp. 84-86; Dictionary of National Biography)
The design of the two figures on the handle of this jug was inspired by the sculpture Ino and Bacchus by John Henry Foley (1818-1874), which was shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851.