Lot 655
Important Natural Silver Specimen From "King's Mountain, Norway". Major Silver-Kongsberg with acanthite. Kongsberg, Norway.
Kongsberg is the world's foremost old locality for collectible natural specimens of wire silver. Some, like this piece, date back over a hundred years or more and have been passed down to us through multiple collections. This is a sinuous, lithe and LARGE (6.5 inches tall) specimen of artistically entwined silver wires. To some it resembles sinuous willows; and to others it looks like a striking snake - hence the nickname "The silver "cobra."
This specimen's aesthetic beauty radiates not just due to its overall form, but also from its unique patina (composed of minute bornite and chalcopyrite crystals) that gives it a "sparkle" in person. This natural and complex patina is impossible to duplicate or fake, indicating a natural coloration and proving the piece has not been cleaned with modern chemistry to make it brighter. The piece is very robust in very aspect, which is quite different from what you normally see in the way of elegant wire silvers (which are usually fragile and can be manipulated by bending).
A classic Kongsberg silver of this size is almost never seen for sale on the modern market. It retains an old label (probably more than 100 years old). During the 1960s-1970s it found its way from Europe into the Richard Barstow collection, who was the pre-eminent collector and dealer of his day. After his untimely death, it passed to the collection of scientist Dr. Edward E. David (President Nixon's science advisor as well as head of the White House Office of Science and Technology). Dr. David exchanged the piece with another well-known collector, Lawrence Conklin, in the early 2000s.
Measures 14.0 x 8.5 x 4.0 cm (6.5 inches tall).
Comes with a custom display pedestal of black wood.
NOTE: includes an old parchment label, dated to the mid to late 1800s.
Estimated Value $120,000 - 140,000.
Dr. Edward E. David collection, Richard Barstow Collection, Lawrence Conklin Collection.
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