A George II silver-gilt epergne

MAKER'S MARK OF EDWARD WAKELIN, LONDON, 1756, THE DISHES 1755

Details

A George II silver-gilt epergne
Maker's mark of Edward Wakelin, London, 1756, the dishes 1755
The frame on four shell and foliate scroll feet, cast and chased with overlapping lambrequin ornament, the openwork body cast and applied with boldly modelled demi-goats, figs and apples, with four detachable foliate scroll branches, each terminating in a plain circular dish holder, each fitted with a detachable spirally-fluted shaped circular dish with flower centre and three bracket feet, the detachable boat-shaped central basket with shell and foliate scroll bracket handles, the sides pierced and chased with floral garlands entwined with the shaped cartouches, the interior of the basket engraved with a crest with viscount's coronet above, marked on central basket and dishes, the frame and branches unmarked, the underside of the central basket engraved 'Made by Edward Wakelin, Panton St. London in 1756', with scratchweight '167=0'
20¼in. (50.5CM.) wide
155ozs. (4,843gr.)

Lot Essay

This epergne is boldly modelled in a style which is very characteristic of Edward Wakelin's work in the 1750s. A larger epergne and plateau commissioned by Brownlow, 9th Earl of Exeter (1725-1793), sold Christie's London, 18 December 1997, lot 143, was conceived in a similarly sculptural manner with fully three dimensional fruit applied to the plateau and hung from the epergne-frame. A less exuberant model, also dating from 1755/56, with unmarked branches, was sold Christie's New York, 10 October 1983, lot 155.

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