This paperknife was made in London in 1877 by F. K. Gurney for Hannah de Rothschild and bears her monogram, picked out in gold beneath an Earl's coronet. F.K. Gurney is listed as an engraver (Blenheim Street, New Bond Street) in 1846. The firm was still going in 1914.
Hannah de Rothschild was the daughter of Mayer de Rothschild, head of the Rothschild banking family. In 1874, she inherited her father's wealth and became, for a time, the richest woman in England. In 1878, she married Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Roseberry. He became Foreign Secretary in 1886 and again from 1892-1894 before becoming Prime Minister 1894-1895.
The paperknife remained in the Rothschild family until 1977 when it was sold in the Mentmore Towers sale (Lot 3552). It then entered a private collection from which it was recently sold.
Hannah de Rothschild at Mentmore
|
