A SET OF FOUR REGENCY SILVER SAUCEBOATS

Details
A SET OF FOUR REGENCY SILVER SAUCEBOATS
MAKER'S MARK OF ROBERT GARRARD, LONDON, 1818 AND CIRCA

In the Rococo style, boat-shaped on oval spreading base with elaborate rocaille and wave decoration, the stem formed as a coiled snake, the body chased with flutes and rocaille, acanthus scroll and fishscale decoration between, the scroll handle draped with a sea-monster, with acanthus scroll wavy rim, engraved under the lip with coat-of-arms and motto within a foliate scroll and rocaille cartouche, one fully marked on side, another fully hallmarked under lip but apparently lacking maker's mark, two maker's mark only
length over handle 10in. (25.4cm.)
(131oz., 4074gr.) (4)
Provenance
Old English and Foreign Silver and Silver-Gilt Plate being a portion of the Sneyd Heirlooms, Removed from Keele Hall, Christie's, London, June 24, 1924, lot 57 (/p58-19s-11d to Freeman)

Lot Essay

The arms are those of Sneyd impaling those of Bagot as borne by Col. Walter Sneyd (1752-1829) of Keele Hall, Staffordshire. Col. Sneyd commanded the Staffordshire Regiment at Windsor for fourteen years. His substantial income was generated by coal and iron royalties, and he added a large west facade to Keele Hall. For further biography and a history of Keele Hall, see J.M. Kolbert, The Sneyds & Keele Hall, 1967.

The present sauceboats are recorded in the 1849 inventory of the Sneyd plate, and are described as "4 Chased Sauce Boats, snake handles" (Inventory of Plate left at Messrs Garrard Co. 31 Panton St London, June 15, 1849). At that time, Keele Hall and its plate were owned by Walter Sneyd's heir, Ralph Sneyd (1793-1870).

The present sauceboats are based on originals of 1764 in the Royal Collection, illustrated in E. Alfred Jones, The Gold and Silver of Windsor Castle, 1911, plate LXXXII. Paul Storr made a number of sauceboats of this model: a pair of 1819 with the crest of the Earls of Kenmare (sold in these Rooms, April 28, 1992, lot 166), another pair from the Kenmare set (sold in these Rooms, October 18, 1989, lot 163), a set of four of 1819 (illustrated in N.M. Penzer, Paul Storr, 1954, p. 206), a pair of 1812 (illustrated in Morrie A. Moss, The Lillian and Morrie Moss Collection of Paul Storr Silver, 1972, p. 184), a pair from the Sampaio service of 1823 (sold in these Rooms, April 11, 1995, lot 264), and a pair of 1821 (now at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut). Another set of four by Robert Garrard of 1825 was sold by Sotheby's, London, November 28, 1965, lot 69.