UNMARKED, CIRCA 1768

Details

A pair of George III Irish Gold Thimbles
unmarked, circa 1768
Cylindrical and with a band of stippled ornament between plain borders, one upper border with strawberry leaves in the form of a duke's coronet, engraved with a coat-of-arms with duke's coronet above, the other with pearls and strawberry leaves in the form of a marquess' coronet, engraved with a coat-of-arms with marquess' coronet above, each with inscription, each also engraved '1768'
Each 5/8in. (1.5cm.) long
oz. (13gr.)
The inscriptions read, THE FREEDOM OF THE CORPORATION OF TAYLORS, AMB.E LEET, MAST.R

The arms are those of Fitzgerald for James, 1st Duke of Leinster (1722-1773) and his son William, Marquess of Kildare (1749-1804), later 2nd Duke of Leinster. (2)

Provenance

One presented to James, 1st Duke of Leinster (1722-1773), the other to his son William, Marquess of Kildare (1749-1804), later 2nd Duke of Leinster, and thence by descent to
Gerald, 8th Duke of Leinster
The Duke of Leinster; Sotheby's London, 3 May 1984, lot 11

Literature

The Glory of the Goldsmith, Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, no. 200, p. 242, illustrated p. 243

Exhibited

London, Christie's, The Glory of the Goldsmith, Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection, 1989, no. 200

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

A meeting was held at the Taylors' Hall, Dublin in January 1768 when the motion was passed to present the thimbles. The details are recorded in the Freeman's Journal, 9-12 January 1798:

'Taylor's Hall, Christmas Quarter Day, January the 11th, 1768.

It was unanimously resolved, that the Freedom of this Corporation be presented to the Most Noble James, Duke of Leinster, with a Gold Thimble, in Testimony etc...'

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