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A private collection of Fine Silver 25th March 2015
This remarkable private Irish collection of 18
th
, 19
th
and 20
th
century silverware
comprising over 400 lots came together through the great interest Margaret Hegarty
had in the medium and whilst there is a great range of wares on offer there is a
common strand that runs through the entire and that is quality and condition.
Remarkably however, Margaret favoured one particular silversmith, William
Comyns (1836-1916), who was known for his stylish, feminine and delicate work,
and indeed her collection has more pieces by Comyns than any other silversmith.
It is exceedingly rare that a large and varied collection of work by such a well
regarded ‘
fin de siècle’ silversmith as William Comyns comes on the market. Indeed
so rare is it, that this collection could arguably be described as a mini-retrospective
exhibition of his work.
William Comyns, established his workshop in London’s Soho in 1858 at the age
of 22, after completing his apprenticeship with George Richards. He started with
tools, patterns and benches that he had acquired for £100. From this humble origin
he grew his company into an enormously successful international firm, achieving
major successes in the 1880’s, 90’s and early 20
th
century. Comyn’s workshop sup-
plied silver to some of the world’s finest silver retailers, including Tiffany & Co. New
York and the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Company in London. In addition, his
workshop produced and supplied silverware to the Royal Family, both directly and
indirectly via the firm of Garrards, even producing the silver for the mausoleum of
Queen Victoria.
The firm specialised in Victorian and Art Nouveau styles, largely using the
die-stamping technique, coupled with traditional methods. They gained a strong
reputation for quality and expanded their workshops, re-locating three times, even-
tually settling in 41 Beak Street, Soho in the early 1880’s.
William Comyns died in 1916, leaving the firm to his two sons. They were soon
faced with difficult times, with World War I and also with fashions changing from
their trademark Victorian and Edwardian styles. Charles died in 1925 whilst attend-
ing an auction at Christie’s, leaving the firm to his brother Richard. The financial
crash of 1930 and World War II pushed the company further into decline. Richard
died in 1953. The firm changed hands a few times until finally due to bad debts, the
firm went into liquidation in the 1980’s and was subsequently bought by the Royal
Selangor Company of Malaysia.
Margaret Hegarty and the silversmith William Comyns