LONDON.- Koopman Rare Art, London’s pre-eminent antique silver dealer will be exhibiting at The Winter Show in New York City for the first time (Booth E3).

Lewis Smith, Director of Koopman Rare Art said: “We are very excited to be participating at the Winter Show. It is undoubtedly “the” antique Fair in the United States and is held in great esteem by dealers and collectors alike. With its focus on superlative antiques of the highest quality and emphasis on traditional values it fits extremely well with our own ethos.

“Among the many unique and fabulous pieces we will be showing is an exceptionally rare, historically interesting gold box commemorating the recognition of the Independence of the United States of America by the King of France, Louis XVI. Made in Paris in 1789 by Jacques Felix Vienot, it is beautifully decorated with miniature views expertly executed in watercolour by the artist JF Genillion (1750-1829. This outstanding box should attract considerable interest as, not only is it a fine example in this widely appreciated collecting genre, it has the added appeal of having a significant American connection.” (Asking price in excess of $200,000).

Alongside a distinguished group of gold boxes, visitors to The Winter Show will also be impressed by the great many silver masterpieces on the stand at Koopman Rare Art.

Most notable is a George II soup tureen, made in London in 1736 and bearing the makers mark of Christian Hillan. With lavish decoration it vividly demonstrates all the theatrical opulence and ornamentation so typical of the rococo style. The tureen bears the arms of Robert Hampden-Trevor, 1st Viscount Hampden (1706 –1783), a British diplomat at The Hague, who also served as joint Postmaster General (asking price in region of $165,000).

Silver candelabra and candlesticks never fail to make a statement and add gravitas to any interior. A particularly superb example is a highly important George III ‘Egyptian” style candelabrum. With a royal provenance, it bears the cypher of His Serene Highness Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duke of Saxony (later King Leopold I of the Belgians) and was made by the renowned silversmiths Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith in London in 1805. With decoration including Egyptian female figures, sphinxes, lion paws, ostrich feathers and other exotic motifs this candelabrum represents a very significant example of the Egyptian trend within the Regency Neoclassical taste (asking price in region of $150,000).

For those who prefer more classically restrained silver candlesticks, there is a set of four elegant Queen Anne candlesticks, marked London 1706 by Benjamin Pyne (asking price in region of $85,000), as well as a set of four refined George I candlesticks, also made in London in 1716 by Thomas Merry (asking price in region of $44,000).

Koopman Rare Art enjoys a worldwide reputation for being one of the go-to dealers for high quality objects by some of the leading master craftsmen in silver, such as Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) and Paul Storr (1770-1844). A number of exceptional works by these famous silversmiths will grace the Koopman stand at The Winter Show. Examples by Paul Storr will include a grandiose George III three-piece mirrored plateau dated 1819 (asking price in region of $97,000) and a splendid pair of George III entrée dishes made in 1809 (asking price in region of $46,000).

For the collectors of early English silver there are several fine examples dating from the reign of Charles II. Most notably, an impressive circular silver tazza made in London in 1678 is exuberantly decorated with depictions of Venus, Iris, Pluto, and Neptune in a landscape while the centre of the tazza shows Alexander the Great meeting with King Poros of India. The tazza is attributed to William Fowles (asking price in region of $290,000). Less ostentatious and more modest pieces from the same period include a charming sugar box made in London in 1679, probably by Abraham Hinde (asking price in region of $22,000), and an exquisitely simple wine cup made by silversmith Simon Romney in 1662 (asking price in region of $30,000).

A dazzling collection of exceptional works in silver-gilt is another important feature on the stand. Among these is a magnificent George IV tray commissioned from Philip Rundell in 1823 for the 3rd Duke of Northumberland (asking price: $336,000) and a large George V wine cistern by Robert Frederick Fox dated 1912 and bearing the arms of Campbell, Duke of Argyl (asking price in region of $105,000).

Alongside the unparalleled display of antique silver, gold boxes and objets de vertu Koopman Rare Art will also present a select collection of fine jewellery by the likes of jewellery houses including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Bulgari, to name but a few.