CIRCA 1765, GOLD ANCHOR MARK TO THE VASE

Ordered by George III and Queen Charlotte as a gift for the Queen's brother, Duke Adolphus Frederick IV of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Mecklenburg-Strelitz Service remained at Strelitz until the early 1920s when most of it was bought by Sir Joseph Duveen for his own collection. It remained in the USA until given by James Oakes, the Bond Street dealer, to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in 1948, on the occasion of their Majesties' Silver Wedding. There are, however, a number of pieces that seem to have 'escaped' before Duveen's purchase, including the present condiment vase and a pair of candelabra branches that entered Lady Charlotte Schreiber's collection in 1867. For another condiment vase in the collection of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, see the Royal Collection inventory, no. 57014. Though Chelsea continued to make plates and dishes with similar decoration, hollow-wares such as the present piece were only made for the original service. See E. Adams, Chelsea Porcelain, London, 1987, pp. 157-8.