George II Antique Silver Sauce Boats, London 1752.

Object Description

A beautiful pair of mid-18th century rococo design gravy boats in cast silver. Excellent heavy gauge silver. The foliate handles, gadrooned rim and beautifully applied scrolling feet create a sumptuous feeling of quality. Below the rim each has a hand engraved coat of arms and motto.

Total weight 1137g, 36.5 troy oz.
Spread 23cm, 9.1ins. Width 12.3cm. 14.2cm high (to top of handle)
London, probably 1752
Maker Samuel Courtauld, a known exponent of rococo silverware..
Sterling silver.

Marks. Stamped underneath with a full set of English silver marks. The marks are rubbed however the maker is definitely Samuel Courtauld and the date letter, although faint, is “r” for 1752.

Arms. The motto “A Deo Et Rege” is Latin for “From God and the King”. These are the marital arms of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, GCH PC (17 Mar 1753 – 5 Sep 1829) and his wife Jane Fleming (d. 3 Feb 1824; bur. in Westminster Abbey), elder surviving daughter and coheiress of Sir John Fleming, 1st and last Baronet of Brompton Park, Middlesex.

Maker: Samuel Courtauld I

Samuel Courtauld I ((1720–1765), London silversmith, apprenticed to his father Augustin Courtauld 1734, free 1747. 1st mark entered as largeworker 1746. 2nd mark 1751. He married Louisa Perina Ogier in 1749 and they had 4 daughters and 3 sons of whom the eldest, Samuel II (1752 1821), followed his father into the Goldsmith’s trade. On Samuel I’s death in 1765 his wife Louisa Perina continued the family business and entered her own widow’s mark.

Samuel Courtald I’s work is quite rare as few pieces of his work have survived and Grimwade describes Samuel’s silverwares as “characterised by a mild rococo taste, attractively executed…”.

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Object Literature

The antique silver sauceboat made its first appearance in the early 1700’s. The original form had two lips, one at each end, with two scroll handles and a spreading foot. This was quickly followed by the single lip form and by the 1740s nearly all examples had the traditional three feet. Usually oval, they were very occasionally octagonal or circular, and were originally intended for cold sauces.

Condition

Object Condition

The sauce boats are in very good condition with a small amount of wear commensurate with age. The hand engraving is still sharp with a bit of rubbing along the centre line.

Object Details