Lot Essay
The arms are those of Grey impaling Booth for Henry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford (1715-1768) and his wife Mary, daughter of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington.
The salver is one of a pair; the other is engraved with the arms of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758), father-in-law of Henry Gray, 4th Earl of Stamford. The two sold as consecutive lots at Christie's London, 12 June 2007, lots 56-57, and together at Christie's London in 1921.
The existence of pairs, or very similar items, engraved with the arms of the Earl of Warrington on one and the arms of his daughter and son-in-law on the other is not unique to the present example. Two salvers by James Schruder, 1741 (J. Lomax and J. Rothwell, Country House Silver from Dunham Massey, no. 37 and no. 69) are similarly engraved to the present lot and its pair.
The Schruder salvers are each flat chased with rocaille, which is out of keeping with Warrington's usual preference for plain silver. This has led Lomax and Rothwell to suggest that the order may have come from the Earl and Countess of Stamford, with one kept for their use and one given to the Countess' father, (op. cit., p. 134) which was probably also the case with this lot.
Caption:
George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington and his Daughter, Lady Mary Booth, 1695, by Michael Dahl, at Dunham Massey National Trust Photographic Library, The Bridgeman Art Library
The salver is one of a pair; the other is engraved with the arms of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758), father-in-law of Henry Gray, 4th Earl of Stamford. The two sold as consecutive lots at Christie's London, 12 June 2007, lots 56-57, and together at Christie's London in 1921.
The existence of pairs, or very similar items, engraved with the arms of the Earl of Warrington on one and the arms of his daughter and son-in-law on the other is not unique to the present example. Two salvers by James Schruder, 1741 (J. Lomax and J. Rothwell, Country House Silver from Dunham Massey, no. 37 and no. 69) are similarly engraved to the present lot and its pair.
The Schruder salvers are each flat chased with rocaille, which is out of keeping with Warrington's usual preference for plain silver. This has led Lomax and Rothwell to suggest that the order may have come from the Earl and Countess of Stamford, with one kept for their use and one given to the Countess' father, (op. cit., p. 134) which was probably also the case with this lot.
Caption:
George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington and his Daughter, Lady Mary Booth, 1695, by Michael Dahl, at Dunham Massey National Trust Photographic Library, The Bridgeman Art Library