Cistern
David Willaume I
(British, 1658–about 1741)
1708–09
Object PlaceLondon, England
Medium/TechniqueSilver
DimensionsCistern Dimensions: H. 66.04 x W. 114.3 x D. 68.58 cm (26 x 45 x 27 in.)
Weight: (cistern) 1,775 oz 15 dwt
Weight: (fountain) 1,049 oz 18 dwt
Weight: (cistern) 1,775 oz 15 dwt
Weight: (fountain) 1,049 oz 18 dwt
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds donated anonymously, Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, Harriet J. Bradbury Fund, and other funds, by exchange
Accession number1999.98.1
On View
On viewClassificationsSilver
Collections
The handles of the cistern and the finial of the fountain are modeled in the form of the heraldic supporters and crest of the earls of Meath, for whom this massive piece must have been made. George Augustus, Prince of Wales purchased the set sometime before 1727, when he was crowned George II. It was kept in Hanover, the ancestral home of the English Hanoverian kings. David Willaume, who marked this monumental set, was one of the most successful foreign-born silversmiths working in London.
InscriptionsARMORIALS: Engraved on both cistern and fountain, the badge and motto of George, Prince of Wales, later George II, king of England (r. 1727-60); handles of the cistern and cover of the fountain modeled as the supporters and crest of the earls of Meath.Provenance1708/1709, probably Chambre Brabazon (b. about 1645 - d. 1715), 5th Earl of Meath, Dublin, Ireland, and London [see note 1]. By 1727, George Augustus, Prince of Wales, later King George II of England (b. 1683- d. 1760; r. 1727-1760), Hanover [see note 2]; until 1990s, by inheritance within the family [see note 3]; 1990s, sold by the dukes of Brunswick to a private collection; 1999, sold by this private collection, through Sotheby's, New York, to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 23, 1999)NOTES:
[1] The cistern and fountain were probably ordered by Chambre Brabazon in 1708/1709 to mark his succession to the peerage in 1707.
[2] How and when the Prince of Wales acquired the cistern and fountain is not known, but before his accession in 1727 he had the engraved Meath armorials removed and replaced with his own motto and badge. It has been suggested that he acquired the set in 1717, the same year he commissioned a set of silver table wares and dining implements from London goldsmith Pierre Platel. See Ellenor M. Alcorn, "English Silver in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," vol. 2, "Silver from 1697" (Boston: MFA Publications, 2000), pp. 72-75, cat. no. 20 and Tracey Albainy, "Hanoverian Royal Plate in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston," The Silver Society Journal, 14 (2002), pp. 14-17.
[3] Upon the succession of Victoria as Queen of Great Britain in 1837, the thrones of Hanover and Great Britain split, owing to the laws of Hanover, and the silver collection passed to the Duke of Cumberland, who became the King of Hanover. On June 27, 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia, and the family assumed the title Dukes of Brunswick and Lüneberg, and moved to Cumberland Castle in Gmuden, Austria.
