Beschreibung:

A French silver-gilt jardiniére on a Victorian silver-gilt mounted plinth The jardiniére, apparently unmarked apart from stamped manufacturer's name Marrel on the rim, and the base engraved Marrel Ainé et Fils, Paris, 1866 and modelled by Cain, the plinth mounts with mark of Robert Garrard London, 1866 The jardiniére, shaped oval on four scrolling oak-branch feet, the body elaborately cast and chased with scenes of a stag hunt with encircling hounds, applied to each side with a strapwork cartouche flanked with hunting-horns, the handles formed as twigs supporting running stags, all in a textured foliate ground with oak leaves and acorns, the moulded outcurved rim with elongated guilloche border below, one cartouche engraved with a presentation inscription, the base also engraved with an inscription, with a plain plated liner with drop-ring handles, the stepped oval wooden plinth applied with four cast silver-gilt foliate scroll feet, at the ends with oak-leaves and acorn terminals, and to each side with a coat-of-arms and motto, the jardiniére rim stamped 'MARREL', the body stamped 'CAIN', the plinth with each mount marked The jardiniére, 23in. (58cm.) long; the plinth, 30in. (76cm.) long The jardiniére, 349oz. (10,881gr.) The inscription in the cartouche reads, 'GRAND PRIX DE PARIS DONNÉ PAR L'EMPEREUR 1866' . The inscription on the base reads, 'Marrel Ainé et Fils Orfévres de S.M. l'Empereur et S.M. l'Imperatrice 21 Boulevard de la Madeleine Paris' The arms on the base are those of Somerset, for Henry, 8th Duke of Beaufort K.G. (1824-1899)