Country House Collections 13th October 2026

33 AN IMPRESSIVE SILVER PRESENTATION ‘SURTOUT DE TABLE’ Sheffield, c.1901, mark of William Hutton & Sons, presented to ‘Councillor Thomas Andrews, Mayor of Cardiff 1900 - 1 by numerous friends and citizens, April 17, 1902’ with signature inscriptions of the executive committee on the occasion of the founding of the New Law Courts October 23rd 1901, the oval mirrored top fitted with cut glass vase centre piece and bowls, with scallop shell decoration to the rim, with ram shield mounts to each end and raised on stylised dolphin feet, the sides decorated with vignettes of Cardiff Harbour, travellers in an open air tram and a steam train. 104cm wide, 51cm deep, 10cm high (70cm high to glass vase) Provenance: A. Pash & Sons, Antique Silver and Sheffield Plate, London Thomas Andrews became Mayor of Cardiff as second preference. Cllr John Jenkins, a councillor for ten years, had initially been elected to the post. It was the first time the position of mayor had been offered to a Labour councillor. However, Jenkins refused the post and left the council chamber and thus Andrews was elected following a second vote. The Law Courts and the Town (later City) Hall, were built simultaneously, starting late in the year 1900. Preparatory work on the foundations took until October 1901 when the formal ceremony for the laying of foundation stones was carried out by the Fourth Marquis of Bute on October 23rd 1901. Designed by the architects Lanchester, Stewart & Rickards, and constructed by Messrs E Turner & Sons, both buildings were completed during 1904 and were officially opened in October 1906 by Lord Bute. This Surtout de Table blends the traditional French rococo table piece with vernacular designs reflecting Cardiff’s coastal location. The focal point of the dining room, the Surtout de Table, traditionally sits at the centre of the tablescape providing candlelight and establishing the mood and formality of the occasion. This seventeenth-century invention, which literally translates to “above all of the table,” was popular in the French noble courts and the kings’ dining tables, conveying prestige and power through intricate metalwork and meticulous design.[1] Candelabras elevating candle- sticks allow light to shimmer and reflect off the mirrors which line the surface of the tray. Condiments were often kept on the Surtout de Table, providing convenient access for dinner guests as it was the centrepiece of the table. Beyond its functional aspects, the Surtout de Table was an essential indicator of sophistication and class which the dinner party host aimed to convey to the those who would have dined at these formal tables. € 10,000 - 15,000