The Goodwood Cup of 1856 Canters Out of the Saleroom
The Goodwood Cup of 1856 by C.F. Hancock and H.H. Armstead, which featured in Fellows' auction of Silver & Plated Ware as lot 283 has sold for £22,000 under the hammer.
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Following the form of a shallow ‘Tazza’ and principally worked in solid sterling silver, this standing cup and cover depicts a scene from Edmund Spenser’s epic poem, The Faerie Queene. At an impressive 33 inches tall, the cup’s crowning glory is the striking sculpted representation of Spenser’s champion, Prince Arthur, as he heroically overthrows the Giant Orgolio.
Less ostentatious than other racing events and set within the picturesque West Sussex countryside, “Glorious Goodwood” (as it is now known) was started in 1802 by the Third Duke of Richmond for officers of the Sussex Militia. It was here that Armstead’s singular cup was won by the now-legendary jockey, George Fordham.
Fordham, nicknamed ‘The Demon’ for his cunning use of tactics, was a jockey of exceptional ability rivalled only by Fred Archer, the most successful jockey of the Victorian era. Both skilful and resolute, Fordham won many prestigious races during his career and was the outright Champion Jockey of flat racing in Great Britain thirteen times.
Please click here to view this lot as a video highlight
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