Lot Essay
The cypher and coronet are probably those of Richard Lumley-Saunderson, 6th Earl of Scarbrough.
The mark LL in script, previously unattributed and once read as TT in script, is now thought to be that of Lewis Lanfriede, who first entered his mark at Goldsmiths' Hall on February 21, 1801. A similar chamberstick by the same, of 1812, was sold by Christie's, Geneva, May 24, 1993, lot 50. Another example is at Attingham park, Shropshire, illustrated in T. Schroder, The National Trust of English Domestic Silver 1500-1900, 1988, p. 257, and exhibited in The Treasure Houses of Britain, Washington, D.C., 1985, cat. no. 468. In the latter catalogue, Judith Banister suggested that the motif of a snake biting its tail, the symbol of Eternity, can be seen as representing Time (the continuous figure of eight).
The mark LL in script, previously unattributed and once read as TT in script, is now thought to be that of Lewis Lanfriede, who first entered his mark at Goldsmiths' Hall on February 21, 1801. A similar chamberstick by the same, of 1812, was sold by Christie's, Geneva, May 24, 1993, lot 50. Another example is at Attingham park, Shropshire, illustrated in T. Schroder, The National Trust of English Domestic Silver 1500-1900, 1988, p. 257, and exhibited in The Treasure Houses of Britain, Washington, D.C., 1985, cat. no. 468. In the latter catalogue, Judith Banister suggested that the motif of a snake biting its tail, the symbol of Eternity, can be seen as representing Time (the continuous figure of eight).