LONDON, 1679, MAKER'S MARK TK ROSETTE BELOW ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS KING

Details

A CHARLES II SILVER TAZZA
LONDON, 1679, MAKER'S MARK TK ROSETTE BELOW ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS KING
Circular, on a spreading trumpet foot and with reeded rim, the field flat chased in the chinoiserie style with couples of Chinese figures interspersed with palm trees and ho-ho birds within matted bands, engraved in the centre with a lozenge-of-arms with crest above, within foliage mantling, marked on field and foot, and with scratchweight 33=8
13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm.) diameter
32 oz. 16 dwt. (1,021 gr.)
The arms are those of a lady of the Ashburnham family.

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 20 April 1972, lot 102.
A Canadian Collector; Christie's, New York, 30 October 1991, lot 300.

Literature

V. Brett, The Sotheby's Directory of Silver 1600-1940, London, 1986, p. 136, pl. 477.
D. Mitchell, Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London, Woodbridge, 2017, p. 541.

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

Recent research by Dr. David Mitchell, op. cit., p. 541, attributes this mark to Thomas King, the son of the clothier Robert King of Bremhill Wick, Wiltshire. He was apprenticed to the plate worker William Mouse in 1649, becoming free in 1657. He established a successful business. He worked closely with Thomas Fowle, a fellow plate worker, who became a successful goldsmith banker. Fowle was knighted the year he was made Sheriff of London in 1686, becoming Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company a year later.

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