Lot Essay
Both this and the following lot bear the same Latin inscription which relates to a bequest in the will of Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury dated 11th April 1715 and proved in January 1716.
'I give and bequeath unto the Rt. Rev. Father in God, Charles, Lord Bishop of Norwich, one of my gilt Tankards as (sic) also my gilt Caudle Cup and my silver shaving basin and ewer...'
Thomas Tenison (1636-1715), Archbishop of Canterbury was the son of Rev. John Tenison of Mundesley, co. Norfolk. He was educated at the Free School in Norwich and later at Corpus Christi College Cambridge where he obtained his B.A. in 1653. He was privately ordained by Brian Duppa, Bishop of Salisbury circa. 1659 and became vicar of St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. During the plague he gained much credit for his care of the parish and was presented with a handsome piece of plate by the parishoners in thanks. After holding the livings of Holywell and Needingworth he was presnted to the rectory of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in 1680. In 1687 he preached the funeral sermon of Nell Gwynne, in which he said much to her praise and represented her as a penitent soul.
He was made Archdeacon of London in 1689, Bishop of Lincoln 1692 and finally Archbishop of Canterbury in 1695. His favour with the Crown ended at the succesion of Queen Anne whom he crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1702. He was a man of great philanthropic interests. In 1695 he erected in Castle Street, Leicester Square, the first public library in London, also endowing a school in the same building. In 1701 he took part in drawing up a charter for founding the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and by his will he left #1000 towards proving Bishops for the American Colonies. He married in 1667, Anne Love (1633-1714), daughter of Richard, Dean of Ely. Unfortunatly the union was childless and he died on December 14th 1715 at Lambeth Palace.
Dr. Charles Trimnell (1663-1723), Bishop of Norwich (1708-1721) and later Bishop of Winchester (1721-1723), married secondly the widow of Joseph Taylor and daughter of Sir Edmund Winn, 2nd Bt., of Nostel, co. York. He died without surving issue, the tankard and following lot obvious passing to his wife's family.
Francis Leake was admitted a freeman of the Goldsmiths Company on 26th November 1656, having served his apprenticeship with Henry Starkey. At the Restoration Robert Vyner was appointed Royal Goldsmith and it is clear that Francis Leake became so accomplished that his services were often used by Sir Robert, shown by the pair of silver-gilt cups and covers of 1663 given by Charles II to Tsar Alexei Mickhailovich during the embassy of Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle (1663-1664), Sotheby's, English Silver Treasures from the Kremlin, 1991, no. 107
Although Francis Leake, and his brother Ralph became two of the most prominent silversmiths of the 17th century, their work typically reflects the growing demand for heavily chased foliage and animal ornament as in the example above.
Leake's versatility as a maker is illustrated by the celebrated 'Monck Tankard' of 1675 and the present tankard, both being almost devoid of ornament except for bands of matting and engraved inscriptions and on the 'Monck Tankard', a coat-of-arms
'I give and bequeath unto the Rt. Rev. Father in God, Charles, Lord Bishop of Norwich, one of my gilt Tankards as (sic) also my gilt Caudle Cup and my silver shaving basin and ewer...'
Thomas Tenison (1636-1715), Archbishop of Canterbury was the son of Rev. John Tenison of Mundesley, co. Norfolk. He was educated at the Free School in Norwich and later at Corpus Christi College Cambridge where he obtained his B.A. in 1653. He was privately ordained by Brian Duppa, Bishop of Salisbury circa. 1659 and became vicar of St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge. During the plague he gained much credit for his care of the parish and was presented with a handsome piece of plate by the parishoners in thanks. After holding the livings of Holywell and Needingworth he was presnted to the rectory of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in 1680. In 1687 he preached the funeral sermon of Nell Gwynne, in which he said much to her praise and represented her as a penitent soul.
He was made Archdeacon of London in 1689, Bishop of Lincoln 1692 and finally Archbishop of Canterbury in 1695. His favour with the Crown ended at the succesion of Queen Anne whom he crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1702. He was a man of great philanthropic interests. In 1695 he erected in Castle Street, Leicester Square, the first public library in London, also endowing a school in the same building. In 1701 he took part in drawing up a charter for founding the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and by his will he left #1000 towards proving Bishops for the American Colonies. He married in 1667, Anne Love (1633-1714), daughter of Richard, Dean of Ely. Unfortunatly the union was childless and he died on December 14th 1715 at Lambeth Palace.
Dr. Charles Trimnell (1663-1723), Bishop of Norwich (1708-1721) and later Bishop of Winchester (1721-1723), married secondly the widow of Joseph Taylor and daughter of Sir Edmund Winn, 2nd Bt., of Nostel, co. York. He died without surving issue, the tankard and following lot obvious passing to his wife's family.
Francis Leake was admitted a freeman of the Goldsmiths Company on 26th November 1656, having served his apprenticeship with Henry Starkey. At the Restoration Robert Vyner was appointed Royal Goldsmith and it is clear that Francis Leake became so accomplished that his services were often used by Sir Robert, shown by the pair of silver-gilt cups and covers of 1663 given by Charles II to Tsar Alexei Mickhailovich during the embassy of Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle (1663-1664), Sotheby's, English Silver Treasures from the Kremlin, 1991, no. 107
Although Francis Leake, and his brother Ralph became two of the most prominent silversmiths of the 17th century, their work typically reflects the growing demand for heavily chased foliage and animal ornament as in the example above.
Leake's versatility as a maker is illustrated by the celebrated 'Monck Tankard' of 1675 and the present tankard, both being almost devoid of ornament except for bands of matting and engraved inscriptions and on the 'Monck Tankard', a coat-of-arms