| INDEX | ALL SILVER |
| DESCRIPTION | Pair (two matching) important and magnificent English Georgian solid sterling silver gravy or large sauce boats. First six images are
the 1816 example alone, the 1765 example is indicated by a gold ring (not included in sale).
Royal Provenance Engraved front left is the Royal cipher of Sophie Charlotte von Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818), Queen Consort of King George III. Engraved front right is the Royal cipher of King George III's third son Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence (1765-1837), who became King William IV 1830-37. Mother and son ciphers clearly engraved simultaneously and as a pair ie. the space between engravings is central to the piece. The engravings are so similar in execution that I am certain that they were executed by the same engraver at the same time. What happened around 1816 that caused an extra bond between mother and son? The two boats are the same in every way including the engravings, an exact pair except they were made fifty years apart by different silversmiths. The 1816 example must have been commissioned to match the 1765 one. Style is much more 1765 than 1816. Would have been an important commission and perhaps no coincidence that the silversmiths employed went on to be appointed Goldsmiths and Jewellers to the King and have continuously held this appointment until today. Much more difficult to copy a piece than create something new, it would have taken time and this might explain why the hallmark is 1816 not 1815. Parents (King Geo. III and Queen Charlotte) celebrate the birth of William Henry in 1765 with some new silver. Mother celebrates her son's fiftieth birthday by commissioning a piece of matching silver and having them both engraved. Father is off his head in the funny farm by now so does not feature in this very personal gift from mother to son. |
| SILVERSMITH | Joseph Steward II, Robert Garrard I (one of the leading silversmiths of the period) |
| DATE or HALLMARK | 1765, 1816 |
| ASSAY OFFICE | London |
| WEIGHT in GRAMS | 335, 343, total 678 |
| LENGTH including handle | 8", 205mm |
| SILVER STANDARD | ·925 silver |
| CONDITION | excellent, minor little bumps and surface marks commensurate with light use, the 1765 example has an old leg/foot repair and a superbly executed modern repair to an odd 4mm thin patch (see image 8, repair near the reflection of the gold ring). The engraving on the 1816 example is very good, the engraving on the 1765 example has a little wear as does the flying leaf cap to the handle. Excepting the above, both pieces are generally in excellent condition indicating items that have not been in constant use. As such we can speculate that the wear to the 1765 example is from Royal use. |
select any image to enlarge
| SOLD |
| Price £1298 |
| item number m8151 |
| Available Boats |
| email questions to silfren@btinternet.com
telephone 07563 011924 experts available 24 hours every day |