BY ALEXANDER JAMES STRACHAN (FL. 1799 - C. 1850), LONDON, 1802

Details

A GEORGE III GOLD ROYAL PRESENTATION SNUFF-BOX
BY ALEXANDER JAMES STRACHAN (FL. 1799 - C. 1850), LONDON, 1802
Shaped as a shell of tortoise, the lid engine-turned with diaper pattern within polished gold bands, engraved on the base with initials AE below a crown within laurel wreath, the borders engraved with flowers on a reeded ground, engraved in cover with an inscription, marked in base and in cover
21/2 in. (60 mm.) wide
2 oz. 1 dwt. (64 gr.)
The inscription reads: 'A Present from their R.R.H.H./ the Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth/ to Earl Harcourt/ 1803'.

The initials are those of Princess Augusta Sophia (1768-1840) and Princess Elizabeth (1770- 1840) daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

Provenance

George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt (1736-1809), by bequest to his wife,
Elizabeth, Countess Harcourt (1746-1826), daughter of George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon (1709-1780), by bequest to her nephew,
The Reverend Leveson Vernon Harcourt (1888-1860), son of the Rt. Hon. Most Reverend Edward Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York (1757-1847), presumably then by descent,
The Harcourt Collection; Sotheby’s, London, 10 June 1993, lot 198.

Literature

The Will of George Simon Harcourt, 2nd Earl Harcourt (1736-1809), Public Record Office Mss. PROB 11/1497/126, folio 28, 'To Elizabeth Countess Harcourt my wife...my small Gold Snuff Box in the shape of a Tortois [sic.]...'
The Will of Elizabeth, Dowager Countess Harcourt (1746-1826), Public Record Office Mss. PROB 11/1708/104, folio 3, 'to my nephew the Rev^d Leveson Vernon a gold snuffbox in the shape of a tortoise'
E. D. Harcourt ed., The Harcourt Papers, Oxford, 1880, p. 228p. 236. 'The Large Drawing Room...In a small table cabinet in the Drawing Room are several article of curiosity...A snuff-box, the present of the Princesses Augusta and Elizabeth to Lady Harcourt.'

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Harry Williams-Bulkeley International Head of Silver Department

hwilliams-bulkeley@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2666

Lot Essay

The Princesses Augusta (1768-1840) and Elizabeth (1770-1840), daughters of King George III and Queen Charlotte, were on very friendly terms with both the Earl and Countess Harcourt, particularly Princess Elizabeth with Lady Harcourt, from the time of their visit at Nuneham House, the Harcourt seat, in September 1785. Both the wills of Lord and Lady Harcourt list numerous presents from the Royal family, a number of which are listed in Nathaniel Hawthorne's description of the contents of Nuneham Courtney in his letter of 1864, published in the Harcourt Papers in 1880, op. cit., pp. 218-238.

The Earl and Countess Harcourt, by Charles Algernon Tomkins, after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1780. © National Portrait Gallery, London

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