MARK OF DIGBY SCOTT AND BENJAMIN SMITH FOR RUNDELL, BRIDGE AND RUNDELL, LONDON, 1805

Details

A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT CUP AND COVER OR WINE COOLER
MARK OF DIGBY SCOTT AND BENJAMIN SMITH FOR RUNDELL, BRIDGE AND RUNDELL, LONDON, 1805
On spreading foot, the fluted centre framed by a foliate border, the ovoid body cast and chased on the lower part with acanthus leaves interspersed with branched acorns, the upper rim applied with a strap of scrolling fruiting vines between corded scrolling handles centred by paterae, the collar decorated with a Vitruvian border and fruiting vines, the everted central collar with detachable cover with acanthus bud finial, engraved on one side with inscription and on the other with a coat-of-arms, marked on foot-rim, on collar rim and in cover, stamped on foot-rim 'Rundell Bridge et Rundell Aurifices Regis et Principis Walliae Londini Fecerunt', in original oak case painted twice V. of H and labelled 'Lord Vaux of Harrowden'
16 1/2 in. (42 cm.) high
107 oz. 6 dwt. (3,338 gr.)
The arms are those of Fayerman for Captain Francis Fayerman (d.1819), commander of H.M.S. Athenienne.

The inscription reads 'To Francis Fayerman Esqr Captain of his Majesties Ship L'Athenienne. from The Commanders of the Hon.ble East India Comp.y's Ships. Perseverance, Neptune, Taunton Castle, Ceres, Royal Charlotte, True Briton, Arniston, Alnwick Castle, & Cuffnells, as a Token of their Respect & Esteem, for his Uniform & Indefatigable Attention to them whilst under his Convoy, during a long & circuitous Voyage to & from China in the years, 1804, & 1805'.

Provenance

Captain Francis Fayerman (d.1819), commander of H.M.S. Athenienne, presented by the commanders of the East India Company's ships Perseverance, Neptune, Arniston, Alnwick Castle and Cuffnells.
A. W. Gilbey Esq.; Sotheby's, London, 17 November 1966, lot 42.
A Gentleman; Sotheby's, London, 8 June 1999, lot 190.

Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Harry Williams-Bulkeley International Head of Silver Department

hwilliams-bulkeley@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2666

Lot Essay

ADMIRAL FAYERMAN
Admiral Francis Fayerman was a prominent British naval officer. He was born in 1745 and entered the Royal Navy at a young age. He was appointed a lieutenant in 1777, becoming a commander in 1781 and appointed captain of H.M.S. Carysfort in 1793. He served as captain on four further ships, taking part in the Battle of Camperdown in 1797 in command of H.M.S. Beaulieu. As commanding office of H.M.S. Athenienne he acted as escort to a convoy of East India Company ships, for which he was presented with the current lot, in recognition of his service. Appointed Admiral of the Blue in 1810, Admiral of the White in 1812 and finally Admiral of the Red in 1814, he spent his final years in Bath, dying there in his house on Queens Parade in December 1819.

VASE DESIGN
The design for this vase or wine cooler is closely related to the Lloyds Patriotic Fund vases awarded for distinguished service during the Napoleonic Wars. The overall design for the vases was the work of the neo-classical sculptor John Flaxman (1755-1826), however, design elements can be attributed to John Shaw and Edward Edwards who respectively won the competition for the design of a vase and a medal. Flaxman was asked by the Royal Goldsmith Rundell, Bridge and Rundell in March of 1804 to plan a design for the final vase, conforming to the Shaw-Edwards drawings. For further information about the Patriotic Fund vases and an illustration of an example, in the collection of the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino California, see R. M. Berkowitz, 'The Patriotic Fund Vases Regency Awards in the Navy', Apollo Magazine, February 1981, p. 104 and 105.

Trafalgar Vase, presented by the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's of London. © Look and Learn / Bridgeman Images

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