Decorative ornament - United Kingdom
03
days
16
hours
36
minutes
39
seconds
Current bid
€ 120
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Constance Rousseau
Master marquetry craftswoman with 4 years' expert experience. Trainee auctioneer at Sotheby's Paris.
Estimate € 350 - € 400
10 other people are watching this object
 Bidder 4413 | €120 |
|---|
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 130637 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Description from the seller
Victorian commemorative object with inscription – 1861
(Student gift to teacher – Edinburgh Academy, Scotland)
⸻
Description
Elegant metal desk ornament on a base with the original engraved plaque dated 1861.
The plaque bears the following inscription:
“Presented to Mr. … by his attached pupil Robert Jameson Torrie – 1861”
This is a typical Victorian academic gift, probably offered by a student to his teacher or tutor at the end of a course of study.
Historical provenance
The object is linked to:
Edinburgh Academy
Prestigious Scottish school frequented by the cultural and scientific elite of the time.
In the school’s historical records it appears that:
• Robert Jameson Torrie was a student from 1861 to 1868
⸻
Link to historical figures
In the same period the school was also attended by:
• Robert Louis Stevenson (famous author of Treasure Island)
who was a pupil at Edinburgh Academy from 1861 to 1863
This places the object in the same school environment as one of the most important writers of the 19th century.
⸻
Family background
The Torrie family was linked to the Scottish scientific milieu:
• Thomas Jameson Torrie, geologist and fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Indicating a provenance from a cultured family well integrated into Edinburgh’s academic elite.
⸻
Object interpretation
The item most likely represents:
• a Victorian school gift
• offered by a student to his tutor or teacher (Mr. Henderson/Anderson?)
• in 1861, the year of admission to the school.
The wording:
“attached pupil”
was typical of the language of the era and indicated a pupil especially attached to his master.
⸻
Era
• Exact date: 1861 (engraved)
• Period: Victorian era (reign of Queen Victoria)
⸻
Materials
• metal structure
• base
• original engraved plaque
⸻
Conditions
• good overall condition
• patina consistent with age
• engraving clearly legible.
⸻
Collecting interest
Object of great interest for:
• Victorian memorabilia collectors
• history of British education
• academic objects
Measures: height 25 cm, width (base diameter) 23 cm
Victorian commemorative object with inscription – 1861
(Student gift to teacher – Edinburgh Academy, Scotland)
⸻
Description
Elegant metal desk ornament on a base with the original engraved plaque dated 1861.
The plaque bears the following inscription:
“Presented to Mr. … by his attached pupil Robert Jameson Torrie – 1861”
This is a typical Victorian academic gift, probably offered by a student to his teacher or tutor at the end of a course of study.
Historical provenance
The object is linked to:
Edinburgh Academy
Prestigious Scottish school frequented by the cultural and scientific elite of the time.
In the school’s historical records it appears that:
• Robert Jameson Torrie was a student from 1861 to 1868
⸻
Link to historical figures
In the same period the school was also attended by:
• Robert Louis Stevenson (famous author of Treasure Island)
who was a pupil at Edinburgh Academy from 1861 to 1863
This places the object in the same school environment as one of the most important writers of the 19th century.
⸻
Family background
The Torrie family was linked to the Scottish scientific milieu:
• Thomas Jameson Torrie, geologist and fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Indicating a provenance from a cultured family well integrated into Edinburgh’s academic elite.
⸻
Object interpretation
The item most likely represents:
• a Victorian school gift
• offered by a student to his tutor or teacher (Mr. Henderson/Anderson?)
• in 1861, the year of admission to the school.
The wording:
“attached pupil”
was typical of the language of the era and indicated a pupil especially attached to his master.
⸻
Era
• Exact date: 1861 (engraved)
• Period: Victorian era (reign of Queen Victoria)
⸻
Materials
• metal structure
• base
• original engraved plaque
⸻
Conditions
• good overall condition
• patina consistent with age
• engraving clearly legible.
⸻
Collecting interest
Object of great interest for:
• Victorian memorabilia collectors
• history of British education
• academic objects
Measures: height 25 cm, width (base diameter) 23 cm
Details
Era
1400-1900
Weight
1 kg
Style subtype
Victorian
Material
Metal
Country of origin
United Kingdom
Style
Antique
Colour
Bronze, Gold
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
25 cm
Width
23 cm
Depth
23 cm
Sold by
