Sophie von der Goltz
Head of Sale
Lot 49
A rare Meissen brush handle from the Glücksburg toilet service, circa 1745
3 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £1,920 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our European Ceramics specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Raphael Machiels
Associate Specialist
Ghislaine Howard
Sale Coordinator
A rare Meissen brush handle from the Glücksburg toilet service, circa 1745
Of baluster form, finely painted with four panels depicting ladies and gentlemen in park settings, alternating with gilt panels reserved with floral motifs and scrollwork borders, fitted with a contemporary brush, the handle: 8.7cm; overall length: 15.9cm (finial restuck, scattered minor wear to gilding)
Footnotes
Provenance:
Robert von Hirsch Collection, Basel;
Schloss Wildenstein Collection, Basel, sold by Sotheby's Zurich, 21 November 1990, lot 73;
Private Collection, Basel, sold by Christie's London, 8 July 2002, lot 104;
The British American Tobacco Collection of Eighteenth-Century Tobacco Containers & Accessories (acquired in the above sale)
Literature:
Jedding, Hermann, "Eine Meissener Toilette-Garnitur in Schloss Glücksburg," Keramos 130 (1990): 10, ill. 12
Part of an extensive toilet service, much of which is survives in Schloss Glücksburg in Northern Germany (see Literature). The Renaissance castle was in the possession of the Danish throne until 1871, when it passed to the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. It is uncertain whether the Meissen toilet service was brought to Glücksburg when it belonged to the Danish throne, or after 1871 by the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. The brush was for brushing off loose particles off fine clothing after sniffing snuff.
