£10,000 FOR A MAZER

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 17, 21 January 1928, Page 21

£10,000 FOR A MAZER

A "GfiEAT FIRE" TANKABD. When Queen Elizabeth drank out of a silver mazer, with a spacious maplewood bowl, at Audley End, she probably did not trouble to conjecture that, one day, a mazer would be appraised at £10,000, the value, by the way, placed upon that Swaythling Tudor cup ■which was brought for the Victoria and 'Albert Museum in 1924. But at Hurcoinb's auction rooms in London recently (reports the "Daily Telegraph") the historic massr, for over 500 years in the ownership of the Macgregor family, fetched this sum of £10,000 in open competition, the bid of Mr. Lionel Crichton, who is the Duveen of the silver world. Silver collectors have often tried to buy this mazer privately from Sir Malcolm Macgregor, but ho preferred to submit his family's treasure to the arbitrament of auction. That other famous mazer associated with the Sempill house was sold by private negotiation some years ago. Not since the Braikenriilge mazer, dated 1534, and belonging originally to Master Toukkers, fetched £2400, nineteen years ago, has such an important vessel of this class appeared in the saleroom. Although not mentioned in the catalogue, the Macgregor mazer possessed a very important accessory in the shape of a cover which must be at least 500 years older than the mazer itself. For this lid is of Celtic craft, and is formed from the bone of a whale and carved with many fantastic decorations. Around the mazer is a silver rim inscribed: "Ninian Bannachtyne, Lard of Le Camis" (the ancient Kamea Castle, in the Isle of Bute), "Soun to uniquhyle, Robart Bannachtyne of Ye Camis.'' From this one gathers that the mazer came into the Macgregor possession through marriage with the Bannatyne family. A striking feature is the sil-ver-gilt figure of a lion couehant in the centre of the inside of the bowl, and this is surrounded by six heraldic medallions emblazoned with the arms of Stuart, Douglas, Hamilton, Crawford, and two othors which remain for the student of heraldry to name with exactitude. Otherwise this mazer, which is lOin in diameter, is without those lavish ornaments of which Evelyn writes in his Diary: "They showed us mazers of beaten and solid gold set •with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds." Another historic relic was sold—a Charles 11. tankard with the Royal Arms —for £830, also to Mr. Crichton. The history of this is very interesting. Wishing to recognise the services of that capable London Magistrate, Sir Edmundbury Godfrey, who had done such excellent work during the Plague and the Great Fire, Charles 11. presented to him a silver tankard. Sir Edmundbury thereupon had four replicas made, which he bestowed on members of his family. In 1895 Mr. Crichton bought one oJ these for £525, and later acquired another. It is understood that the Corporation of Sudbury also owns one of these replicas. Such were the two outstanding events in an unusually interesting sale.