Kirk Sterling Silver Bread Plates & 1819 Antique George Hayter Portrait
by Jessica Kosinski
$1,361 (Bids 74, Bidders 18)
Kirk Sterling Silver Bread Plates c1940 HAND DECORATED FLORAL
A beautifully hand decorated set of four c1940 Samuel Kirk & Son sterling silver raised leaf and floral on satin surface bread plates. Period engraved initials for the original owners. Hallmarked as shown. The c1905 Samuel Kirk hand decorated plates 6 1/4 inches set weighs almost 19 standard ounces. In very, very fine condition. Retains original detail throughout. Rich, beautifully aged sterling patina. Minimal surface wear to the center, faint lines that cannot be felt by hand. Stands firm on table. No dents, deep scratches or repairs. (Photos: eBay seller, supershrink1)
JK: Samuel Kirk is one of the most respected silversmiths in American history. His work dates back to 1815. His company was based in Baltimore and quickly gained a reputation for excellence and attention to detail. Like these floral plates, many of his designs incorporated elements of nature. The little details like the floral designs on these plates were also often added by hand, which made each item unique.
Another important note about these plates is that they were monogrammed, most likely with the initials of the original owners. Some collectors don’t like monogrammed items, but others focus on them. Clearly several monogram enthusiasts were attracted to these plates. Seeing the initials of the family who owned the plates originally is like looking through a window into the past for some collectors. It gives the plates character and is a constant reminder of their history.
Often, high-quality silver items that were monogrammed were passed down from one generation to another within a family. They were status symbols. They also came with a lot of family history and stories. In fact, President George Washington’s wife, Martha, left the family silver to her grandson in her will. It continued to be passed down in the family for many years.
$1,475 (Bids 76, Bidders 24)
1819 Antique GEORGE HAYTER Portrait Oil Painting Lady Elizabeth Smyth HEATH HALL
The early 19th-century, Regency-period Portrait Oil Painting in this auction was recently purchased at a Massachusetts auction, which had acquired several antiquities and examples of art from a family in Marion, MA. This family was connected back to the Heath Hall, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Originally called Eshald House, this estate dates back to 1709. It was purchased by John Smyth (1715–1771), a wealthy landowner and wool trader. Smyth was succeeded by his second son, John Henry Smyth (1780–1822), a British politician and landowner who married Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy (daughter of the 4th Duke of Grafton) in 1814.
Inscribed and signed by the artist on the verso, and identified on the front of the frame, this life-sized Portrait Painting was executed in 1819 by George Hayter (1792-1871) and depicts Lady Elizabeth Anne FitzRoy Smyth (1788-1867). George Hayter was a prolific British portrait painter. He studied at the Royal Academy and was appointed miniature painter to Princess Charlotte and the Prince of Saxe-Coburg. He was also appointed as portrait and history painter to Queen Victoria in 1837, painting her coronation ceremony, as well as her state portrait, for which he was knighted in 1842.
Lady Elizabeth is shown seated in a relaxed, slightly turned pose. She has soft, pale skin and delicate facial features, with lightly flushed cheeks and defined lips. Her hair is styled in short, tight curls framing her face, typical of the Regency period. She wears a white gown with a low, rounded neckline and a fitted bodice, and draped around her shoulders is a green shawl or wrap.
The surface of this early portrait painting has an even and stable varnish, and only a couple of tiny in-painted restorations show under the black-light to the edge of the canvas and in the lower right-hand corner. The canvas was professionally strip-lined and is taut on the stretcher. Measuring 28 1/4” by 38 1/4” stretched canvas painting comes in the original 32 3/4” by 40 1/2” frame. This frame once had an ornate gesso border, which is now gone, and there is added gold paint in its place. (Photos: eBay seller, WWolst12Store)
JK: George Hayter was quite a well-known artist in his era. He was known for painting portraits of aristocratic individuals, including Queen Victoria. This particular painting from 1819 was done when he was in his early 30s. It’s an excellent but fairly early example of his work from before he developed the fully polished and refined style seen in his later work.
The portrait itself may have attracted so many bidders for multiple reasons. Some bidders most likely collect works by Hayter or early oil paintings in general. Others may have been attracted by the history of Heath Hall or Lady Elizabeth herself. These types of portraits were also considered status symbols at the time, so they have a lot of value to historians who specialize in the early 1800s.
Jessica Kosinski has been a freelance researcher and writer since 2001. She developed a passion for pre-1990s TV and films as a kid, and she has never grown out of it. Recently, she turned that passion into a retro TV and film blog. Follow along with her at medium.com/@jkos_writing, as she dives deep into the characters, actors, quirks, and trivia that brought us some of the greatest films and shows in TV history and also discusses some of the more obscure films and shows most of us may have forgotten.
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