Long-lost deer sculpture containing hidden message to social snobs is rediscovered

A long-lost silver sculpture of a pair of rutting stags commissioned by the former owner of one of the National Trust's most stunning country homes has been recovered by the conservation charity after being thought lost or melted down decades ago.

The masterpiece of Victorian silverwork - Stags in Bradgate Park, a sensation in its day - was commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him. Crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, the meticulously-detailed depiction, has been returned to the Earl's former home, Dunham Massey in Cheshire, where it goes on display on Thursday.

"This isn't just silver - it's a story," said National Trust curator for decorative arts James Rothwell. "A story of a man who fell in love with a woman who society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised.

"Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them. Ostracised and humiliated, the Earl and Countess finally had enough and left Dunham Massey - but not quietly.

"They took the family treasures with them to their other houses including Bradgate, the ancient family seat in Leicestershire, where they were welcomed in total contrast to what had happened to them back in Cheshire. It was Bradgate that inspired the Earl to commission one of the most extraordinary silver sculptures of the 19th century."

The sculpture of the rutting deer, positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled, hollow oaks, had graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, and was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862 and the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 where it was admired by millions of visitors.

Long dispersed, over the years, some of the Earl's silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey. This sculpture, thought lost for decades and feared melted down, has miraculously survived - its dramatic central component all that is left.

The two stags with antlers locked in combat were recognised by specialist silver dealers, A. Pash & Sons, and have now been acquired by the National Trust, to be reunited with other world-renowned silver at the property.

Emma Campagnaro, Property Curator at Dunham Massey, adds: "This piece of silver is a monument to love that refused to conform, and to the power of art to speak when words fail. The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park's rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey. It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them."

• The sculpture will go on display at Dunham Massey from today [June 26]. For opening times and further information visit nationaltrust.org.uk/dunham-massey