The heraldically-charged krater vases display ducally gorged leopards, such as feature as the crest of the Earls of Macclesfield. While this crest was adopted by a number of families, there is a possibility that these vases provided part of the ornament of a hearth at Shirburn Castle, the Oxfordshire estate of the Earls of Macclesfield.

The leopard's head, ducally gorged, is the crest of the Champion, Champney, Croughton, Deaken, Deakin, Hengrave, the Earls of Macclesfield, May, Parker, Pulteney, Putt, St. Philibert families. A leopard head out of a ducal coronet is the crest of the Bland, Fludd, Johnson, May and Warren families.
A pair of related Regency ormolu urns was sold anonymously, in these Rooms, 7 July 1994, lot 1.