LARGE NZ SILVER BEAKER BY PETERSEN, CHRISTCHURCH

RARE EXAMPLE OF THE NEW ZEALAND SILVERSMITHS CRAFT BY B. PETERSEN, CHRISTCHURCH, CA 1863, ONE PINT, 125mm TALL BY 90mm WIDE, GILT INTERIOR.



information kindly provided by Canterbury museum as follows..........

"my research indicates that it is related to the Canterbury Grandstand 1863 medal we believed it belonged originally to Robert Chapman. My notes for him are:

Robert Chapman, the first owner of Springbank Station (October 1851). He was a significant breeder of merino sheep and was a judge at the first Canterbury A & P Show in 1859 at Shepherd's Bush. He also judged cattle at the first Canterbury A & P Show in Christchurch, after the founding of a permanent Association - this was in 1863. The showground encompassed 14 acres, part of which is now Sydenham Park. I believe that medal could have been given to Chapman as a token of his judging activities at that first A & P Show, or as one of the early members of the Association, to allow admission to the members' grandstand. I speculate that the cup (which dates from about the same period or slightly later) might come from the same source "

Jennifer Quérée
Senior Curator, Decorative Arts Collections
Canterbury Museum