Upcoming Sale
Tableware Arts
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM

Founded in the early 19th century by British merchants Charles Nicholls and William Plincke, who traded with the city of Saint Petersburg, the eponymous firm known as "The English Shop" quickly became a great success with Russian clientele.


Nicholls & Plincke
Large oval presentation dish in 84 zolotnik silver, finely chased with morning glory and peony flowers in light relief around the border.
Saint Petersburg, 1855.
Silversmith’s mark: Jonas Auvin and supplier's mark.

Their success resonated particularly with the Tsar’s court, which granted them the privilege of becoming official suppliers. The two entrepreneurs collaborated with silversmiths of the Empire to fulfill their prestigious commissions. The silversmith Jonas Auvin, of Finnish origin, worked for the firm in the mid-19th century and produced, among other pieces, this presentation dish that has come down to us.

It stands out for its finely chased decoration of peonies and morning glories, which follows the form of the piece to give it an organic appearance—foreshadowing aesthetic movements and Japonism that would later flourish in the West at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. These decorative features reflect the Russian market's openness to foreign influences during a period of transformation in national art, and herald the Art Nouveau spirit that would bring a renewal of decorative forms across Europe.

A characteristic of Burgundian silverwork, rooted in local traditions, was the custom of offering newlyweds silver cups, known as “wedding cups,” from which they would drink after their union.


Set of Wedding Cups
Silver cups with various decorative motifs on the handles and bases
Silversmiths’ marks from the 18th to the 20th century

Although appearing as everyday objects, these cups were kept as decorative and valuable items in the home and brought out for major family occasions. The smooth bellies of the cups often bore inscriptions such as the names of the bride and groom and their wedding date, as well as the names and birth years of their children.

The handles, meanwhile, reveal stylistic differences specific to each region and era, showcasing a rich decorative repertoire featuring scrolls and animal figures.

Originally from Switzerland and trained at the Geneva School of Industrial Arts, Edouard-Marcel Sandoz quickly turned to figurative sculpture, particularly animal bronzes.


Édouard-Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) & Théodore Haviland
Collection of porcelain pieces with various animal themes
Artist's and manufacturer’s marks on the reverse

After settling in Paris in the early 1900s, he connected with Théodore and William Haviland, directors of the eponymous porcelain factory in Limoges.

They began a correspondence during a time of war, when bronze was in short supply—bringing new attention to a material that interested the artist: ceramics.

This led to a fruitful collaboration between the sculptor and the factory beginning in 1915, resulting in a rich catalog of over 80 animal-themed models, both decorative and functional—pitchers, salt cellars, bonbonnières—which met with great success among the public.

This selection highlights Sandoz’s use of color and the soft, affectionate forms of his subjects, reflecting his passion for animals, whom he closely observed and portrayed with intimate detail in his art.

Next Sale
May 2025 at 2:30 PM