From top to bottom they are: a 6 1/2in (16.5cm) long 21oz cup fashioned as a hound's head marked for John Barclay Hennell, London 1879 sold for £8500; a 4 1/2in (11cm) long 4oz fox mask cup marked for IL, London 1773 sold for £4600; a 6 1/2in (17.5cm) long 19oz cup formed as a horse's head marked for William Leuchars, London 1885 sold for £9000.
The 342-lot mix of English and Continental silver raised a total of £285,770 with selling rates of 77 per cent by lot and 87 by value.
The capital’s silver dispersed
A SMALL group of animal stirrup cups provided the high points at Christie’s South Kensington’s silver sale held on June 16 affirming the evergreen appeal of novelty and collectors items over more useful hollowares.