LONDON, 1789, APPARENTLY NO MAKER'S MARK

Details

A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT COPY OF THE 'FORTUNA BASIN'
LONDON, 1789, APPARENTLY NO MAKER'S MARK
Oval and chased in the Mannerist taste, the shaped moulded rim chased with scrolls, ribbon-tied fruit garlands and Jupiter's eagle-wings, with four detachable cupid heads between, the well chased with Fortuna holding a cornucopia and a river-nymph companion seated by a swan populated pool within a landscape, the centre engraved with a coat-of-arms below an earl's coronet, marked on back
23¾ in. (60.4 cm.) wide
91 oz. (2,821 gr.)
The arms are those of Rous for the Earls of Stradbroke, presumably for John, 1st Earl of Stradbroke (1750-1827), son of Sir John Rous 5th Bt. Before he was elevated to the peerage he was M.P. for Suffolk from 1780 until 1796 when he was elevated as Baron Rous of Dennington. In 1821 he gained a viscountcy and earldom as Viscount Dunwich and Earl of Stradbroke. He was educated at Westminster and Magdalen College, Oxford. He married twice. His first wife Frances (d.1790), whom he married in 1788, was the daughter and heiress of Edward Warter-Wilson of Bilboa, co. Limerick. No doubt this basin, made to match the Lencker basin, was commissioned following Rous' wedding. His second wife, Charlotte (d.1856), was the eldest daughter of Abraham Whittaker of Stratford, co. Essex and Lyston House, co. Hereford. Lord Stradbroke died at 33 Hertford Street, Mayfair in 1827.

Provenance

John, 1st Earl of Stradbroke (1750-1827) and then by descent to
The Earl and Countess of Stradbroke, Henham Hall, Suffolk; Prudential Fine Art Auctioneers; 10-12 October 1988, lot 128

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

This dish is based on one by Johannes I Lencker I of Augsburg from the collection of the Earl and Countess of Stradbroke. It was sold as the previous lot in the 1988 house sale. It was subsequently sold from the collection of M. Hubert de Givenchy, Christie's Monaco, 4 December 1993, lot 50.

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