MARK OF THOMAS SMILY, LONDON, 1882

Details

A VICTORIAN PARCEL-GILT SILVER CENTREPIECE
MARK OF THOMAS SMILY, LONDON, 1882
On plain domed base chased with cartouches depicting knights fighting, lions, nymphs and flower sprays, the stem with St. George on a horse fighting the dragon, its wings supporting the plain bowl, with beaded borders, marked on base, stand and screw
13 7/8 in. (35 cm.) high
100 oz. 10 dwt. (3,127 gr.)

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU or, if the UK has withdrawn from the EU without an agreed transition deal, from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime.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.

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Lot Essay

St. George was a soldier of Cappadocian Greek origins, a Praetorian Guard for the emperor Diocletian, who sentenced him to death for him refusing to renounce his faith. The earliest known depictions of St. George killing the dragon came later, from Cappadocia in the 11th century. He became the patron saint of England during the Tudor period, due to his popularity at the time of the Crusades and Hundred Years' War. His status was much revived in the Victorian period with the taste for historicism.

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