Lot Essay
The crest is that borne by George, 6th Earl of Chesterfield, the grandson of the author of the celebrated Letters, who was born in 1805. He succeeded to the Earldom at the age of 10 in 1815 and was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. These sauceboats form part of a suite of silver commissioned for his twenty-first birthday celebrations, most of which were copies of pieces in the service of ambassadorial plate made in 1726/7 for the 4th Earl of Chesterfield. Additions had been made from the same models by Wakelin and Taylor in the 1770s, but the great quantity of plate ordered from Garrard's at the time of the 6th Earl's coming of age is unparalleled; in addition to these magnificent sauceboats, it includes copies of dinner plates made by David Willaume (for a set of twenty-four, see Christie's, New York, April 28, 1992, lot 163), and most significantly copies of the celebrated wine coolers of 1727 and struck with Paul Crespin's mark over that of Paul de Lamerie and now divided between the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Royal Museum of Scotland.
The 6th Earl of Chesterfield was Lord of the Bedchamber 1828 to 1830 and in 1830 he married Anne Elizabeth, daughter of Cecil Weld, Lord Forester of Willey. This lady, according to Lady Dorothy Nevill, had the distinction of refusing offers of marriage from two future Prime Ministers: Lord Derby and Benjamin Disraeli.
In his youth, Chesterfield was held one of the most brilliant men of fashion. However, his extravagance led to the intense disapproval of Henry Greville, who wrote in his Memoirs 'It makes me sad to see Bretby and the mode of life there; idleness, folly, waste and a constant to ruin; a princely fortune dilapidated by sheer indolence, because the obstinate spoiled owner will neither look into his affairs nor let anybody else look into them. He lies in bed half the day and rises to run after pleasure in what ever shape he can pursue it; abhors business, and has no sense of duty' [September 16, 1846]. In later life, Greville failed to temper his scorn of Chesterfield: "A man of fair parts and good instincts, but his education had been neglected, and he had been allowed at a very earlier age to contract habits of dissipation and extravagance, which ultimately led to the loss of nearly half his large fortune, which, however, he endeavored in his latter years to retrieve by judicious economy. Though rather a spoilt child, he was very much liked by those he associated with" [Diary, June 4, 1866].
The 6th Earl of Chesterfield was Lord of the Bedchamber 1828 to 1830 and in 1830 he married Anne Elizabeth, daughter of Cecil Weld, Lord Forester of Willey. This lady, according to Lady Dorothy Nevill, had the distinction of refusing offers of marriage from two future Prime Ministers: Lord Derby and Benjamin Disraeli.
In his youth, Chesterfield was held one of the most brilliant men of fashion. However, his extravagance led to the intense disapproval of Henry Greville, who wrote in his Memoirs 'It makes me sad to see Bretby and the mode of life there; idleness, folly, waste and a constant to ruin; a princely fortune dilapidated by sheer indolence, because the obstinate spoiled owner will neither look into his affairs nor let anybody else look into them. He lies in bed half the day and rises to run after pleasure in what ever shape he can pursue it; abhors business, and has no sense of duty' [September 16, 1846]. In later life, Greville failed to temper his scorn of Chesterfield: "A man of fair parts and good instincts, but his education had been neglected, and he had been allowed at a very earlier age to contract habits of dissipation and extravagance, which ultimately led to the loss of nearly half his large fortune, which, however, he endeavored in his latter years to retrieve by judicious economy. Though rather a spoilt child, he was very much liked by those he associated with" [Diary, June 4, 1866].