MARK OF DAVID WILLAUME II, LONDON, 1744

Details

A GEORGE II SILVER EWER
MARK OF DAVID WILLAUME II, LONDON, 1744
Helmet-shaped, on circular gadrooned foot with knoped stem, the lower body applied with strapwork, the upper body with moulded mid rib and flying scroll handle, the front engraved with a coat-of-arms with earl's coronet above, marked on outer rim, engraved on underside with scratch weight 63: 14,
13 in. (33 cm.) high
63 oz. 11 dwt. (1,977 gr.)
The arms are those of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758) of Dunham Massey, Cheshire.

Provenance

George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758), of Dunham Massey, Cheshire, by descent to his daughter,
Lady Mary Booth (1704-1772), wife of Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford (1715-1768), by descent to their son,
George Harry Grey, 5th Earl of Stamford (1737-1819) and his wife Lady Henrietta Bentinck (1727-1837), by descent to,
Catherine, Lady Grey (1860-1925) of Enville Hall, Staffordshire, and her son Sir John Foley-Grey 8th Bt. (1893-1938),
Catherine, Lady Grey and Sir John Foley-Grey; Christie's, London, 20 April 1921, possibly lot 149 (dated as 1742).
Presented anonymously to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in memory of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour (1835-1914) in 1937.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acc. no. 37.31, de-accessioned in 1979.
An Irish Pension Fund; Christie's, New York, 30 October 1991, lot 304.
with S. J. Phillips Ltd., London

Literature

George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington, The Particular of my Plate and its Weight, mss., folios 5 and 15, '7 Ewers for the Rooms'.
H. Avray Tipping, 'The Second Earl of Warrington's Plate, Part II', Country Life, vol. 49, 16 April 1921, p. 472, fig 3.
Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, vol. 35, no. 208, April 1937, p. 25.
I. Untermyer and ‎Y. Hackenbroch, English and Other Silver in the Irwin Untermyer Collection, New York, 1969, p. 88.
J. Lomax and J. Rothwell, Country House Silver from Dunham Massey, National Trust, 2006, pp. 108, 111, 171, 203, 210.

Exhibited

Boston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 1931-1978.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Charlotte Young Associate Director, Specialist

cyoung@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2730

Lot Essay

The ewer is one of 'The 7 Ewers for the Rooms' described in the Earl's inventory of plate. Willaume was the most prolific maker, providing the Earl with three ewers, following on from Peter Archambo who created the pair of 1740, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York. The heaviest and last in the set was made by Samuel Courtauld in 1747. All but the present lot were sold in the 1921 Foley Grey sale, however, it would appear the present lot was held back from both the 1921 and the 1931 sales, presumably being sold privately before being purchased for presentation to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1937.

i) 68 [oz.] 2 [dwt.] - Samuel Courtauld, 1747, Dunham Massey N.T., cat. no. 52, [1921 sale, lot 154]
ii) 61 [oz.] 4 [dwt.] - James Schruder, 1741, Dunham Massey N.T., cat. no. 47, [1921 sale, lot 142]
iii) 58 [oz.] 5 [dwt.] - Peter Archambo, 1740, Metropolitan Museum, New York, [1921 sale, lot 141 part]
iv) 59 [oz.] - [dwt.] - Peter Archambo, 1740, Metropolitan Museum, New York, [1921 sale, lot 141 part]
v) 53 [oz.] 13 [dwt.] - David Willaume, 1742, Dunham Massey N.T., cat. no. 48, [1921 sale, lot 142]
vi) 63 [oz.] 14 [dwt.] - David Willaume, 1744, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1937-1979. Sold privately.
vii) 63 [oz.] 5 [dwt.] , David Willaume, 1744, The late Sir Ernest Royden Bt.; Christie's, London, 1 February 1961, lot 166 [1921 sale, lot 149]

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