Lot Essay
The arms are those of Earls Spencer.
An identical wine cooler by Henri Auguste, 1790, was sold by Christie's, Geneva, November 20, 1979, lot 182. A possible explanation for the Britannia standard hallmarks is that these wine coolers are in fact French and of 1st standard silver and were rehallmarked when sold in England. Alternatively, Robert Sharp may have been commissioned to make these to match existing French examples and higher standard silver was used for the bodies (and not the liners) in order to match the patina of the French examples.
An identical wine cooler by Henri Auguste, 1790, was sold by Christie's, Geneva, November 20, 1979, lot 182. A possible explanation for the Britannia standard hallmarks is that these wine coolers are in fact French and of 1st standard silver and were rehallmarked when sold in England. Alternatively, Robert Sharp may have been commissioned to make these to match existing French examples and higher standard silver was used for the bodies (and not the liners) in order to match the patina of the French examples.