DATED 1672, LONDON, BRISLINGTON OR BRISTOL

This dish celebrating King Charles II of England (1630-85) dates to the middle of his reign (1661-85). After the solemnity of the English Civil wars and Oliver Cromwell’s reign, Charles II was known as the ‘Merry Monarch’ for his wit and his love of the limelight, as well as his sometimes debauched court (his most famous mistress was the comic actress Nell Gwynn). The year 1672 saw his Royal Declaration of Indulgence, which expanded religious freedoms for Catholics and other Protestant dissenters, but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw this act of tolerance.

Another dish dated dish depicting Charles II was in The Collection of Benjamin F. Edwards III, sold Christie's, New York, 26 January 2010, lot 344 ($170,500).