Table decoration in the form of a peacock

Hungarian, Munkács

Not on view

The peacock stands with its head slightly tilted, mischievously observing his surroundings. The artist has capture in silver the temperament and characteristic posture of a mature male peacock, an extremely territorial bird. The object’s plain oval base, with its convex frame decorated with Baroque flowers and scrolled leaves, is in sharp contrast to the combination of a terrain plinth and stylized Neoclassical garlands on the stands of the pair of peacocks also in the museum's collection, acc. nos. 2010.110.64a, b and .65a, b.

Literature
Works of Art. Sale cat., Sotheby’s, London, December 8, 1983, p. 30, no. 91.
Judit H. Kolba. Hungarian Silver: The Nicolas M. Salgo Collection. London, 1996, p. 122, no. 99.

References
Elemér Kőszeghy. Magyarországi ötvösjegyek a középkortól 1867-ig / Merkzeichen der Goldschmiede Ungarns vom Mittelalter bis 1867. Budapest, 1936, nos. 1255 [town mark], 1256 [town mark].
A similar peacock-form table decoration or drinking cup was offered by Bonhams, London, July 9, 2015, no. 117.

[Wolfram Koeppe 2015]

Table decoration in the form of a peacock, Silver, partly gilded, Hungarian, Munkács

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