Jim Duncan of New Zealand writes:

FOR SALE: A monumental European sterling silver, massive wine cistern, after the original made by C F Kandler, London 1735. The original was commissioned by Henry Jerningham, a Londongoldsmith-banker, who wanted to create the largest ever piece of entertainment silver.

He employed the sculptor John Michael Rysbrack to model the Bacchanalian scenes on the bowl, the crouching panthers beneath and the satyr handles. It took the silversmith Charles Frederick Kandlerfour years to make. When it was finished in 1735, it weighed 8,000 ozs. In 1737 Jernegan offered the cooler as a lottery prize to raise funds for a new bridge over the Thames at Westminster. Silvermedals were sold as lottery tickets for about five or six shillings each.

The winner, Major William Battine, appears to have sold the cooler to the Regent Anna Leopoldovna of Russia in 1738. Since 1743 it has been in the Hermitage, St Petersburg. In 1857 the Victoriaand Albert Museum made an agreement with Elkington & Co., the Birmingham manufacturers. Exploiting their new technique of electroplating, historic silver was reproduced 'increasing the copies offine specimens' that not only the consumer may become familiar with the beauties, but both artist and artisan may also be able to compare the same with their own productions.'

The scheme was so successful that it was extended to other European collections, including those in Imperial Russia. The Jerningham wine cooler was one of about 200 examples of English silver inRussia to be electrotyped. There are 3 electrotype copies known to exist. One is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The second is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and the third is inthe Queen's Regimental Silver in England.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: JANUARY 22, 2017 : 1736 Jernegan's Lottery Medal (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n04a21.html)