Tureen

Description

This silver ship borne on the tails of grimacing sea monster feet is one element from a fantasy flotilla of possibly one dozen tureens commissioned by Catherine II, Czarina (Empress) of Russia. The functional tureen is a loose interpretation (with two bows and no stern) of a ten-gun ship. In low relief on the vessel's side the two-headed eagle holding an orb and scepter and emblazoned with the initial of Catherine II (Ekaterina II), who was empress between 1762 and 1796, suggests it was commissioned for governmental purposes. Scholars have speculated that the full set of tureens was first used in 1766 by the Baltic Sea Admiralty at Kronstadt or in St. Petersburg, but then transferred between 1783-87 to the Black Sea Fleet under Grand Admiral Prince Gregory Potemkin. The tureen's body and lid are both wrought, with cast ornament soldered in place including the spinning capstan and silver cables to raise the anchors. The interior is mercury gilded and both tureen and lid are engraved with the number "10." Possibly by the early nineteenth century, this tureen was brought to England and the coat of arms and motto "EA LIBERTE" (liberty) used by the Ackers family of Moreton Hall in Chester, England were engraved on each end of the lid. The Ackers' crest was engraved on each of the four anchors. Traditionally, this ownership was assigned to George and Harriott-Dell (Hutton) Ackers, but their son George Holland Ackers and his wife Harriet Susan Hutton are the owners likely to have engraved the family armorial on the tureen. The weight in Russian units, 16 funts 16 zolotniki, is engraved on the underside of the tureen, indicating it is the smaller of the two sizes known to have been made. In 1966 the Campbell Museum acquired this tureen from Parisian antiques dealer Jacques Kugel, which may account for the French import marks stamped on the body and lid. In 1996 the Campbell Museum transferred by gift their significant collection of tureens and soup related items to Winterthur Museum.