SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. A GOLD COLLAR PRESENTED BY PRESIDENT KRUGER

SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. A GOLD COLLAR PRESENTED BY PRESIDENT KRUGER, C1900 of linked batons, 34.5cm l, 61gProvenance: Presented by Paul Kruger, President of the South African Republic (Transvaal) to Alois Hugo Nellmapius (born Neumann, 1847-1893) as a wedding gift for his daughter Irene Violet Nellmapius (1887-1961) on her marriage to Hendrik Jacobus Smit (1868-1953) in 1910; their daughter Jeanne Elizabeth Collard, nee Smit (1911-1993); thence by descent to the present vendor.A prominent businessman and close friend of President Kruger, Nellmapius was also a notable early conservationist. He developed idyllic and extensive gardens at his estate, named after his daughter Irene (the recipient of the present collar), the Times reporting in 1892 that the Irene Estate could boast "with the exception of cherries, gooseberries and currants, all European fruits flourish well" and "that the fields were bordered by hedges of quince, pear, apple, plum and peaches... acres of roses, violets and ornamental plants surround the house."