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Lot Essay
The monogram and coronet are those of Henrietta Frances, Countess de Grey (1784-1848), fifth daughter of William, 1st Earl of Enniskillen. In 1805 she married Thomas Philip, 2nd Earl de Grey of Wrest Park, who served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1834-35 and Yeomanry Aide-de-camp to William IV from 1831 to 1837 and to Queen Victoria from 1837-59. Lady de Gray was described by Harriet, Countess Granville as "Very affectionate, [she] cultivates with care and waters with every sorrow that blows... The men treat her with the sort of homage one hears was shown to Lady Coventry in former times. The admiration she excites is quite curious" (Complete Peerage).
"Hock" was a generic term for wines from the German Rhine region from the vineyards of Hockheim. This abbreviation was commonly used, much as "claret" referred to wines from the Bordeaux region. Rhenish wines, characterized by their deep amber color, were particularly popular in nineteenth-century Britain, and their reputation was further enhanced by a visit from Queen Victoria to the wine-making region in 1850. Hock was traditionally served in green glass vessels. See lots 103 and 116 for bottle tickets labeled for hock.
Photo caption:
Henrietta Frances, Countess de Grey (1784-1848),
circle of George Clint
"Hock" was a generic term for wines from the German Rhine region from the vineyards of Hockheim. This abbreviation was commonly used, much as "claret" referred to wines from the Bordeaux region. Rhenish wines, characterized by their deep amber color, were particularly popular in nineteenth-century Britain, and their reputation was further enhanced by a visit from Queen Victoria to the wine-making region in 1850. Hock was traditionally served in green glass vessels. See lots 103 and 116 for bottle tickets labeled for hock.
Photo caption:
Henrietta Frances, Countess de Grey (1784-1848),
circle of George Clint