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Lot Essay
It is probable that the present pair of dishes were commissioned by James Lowther, (1736-1802), who inherited the family estates in 1751. James died childless in 1802 and was succeeded by his cousin William, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757-1844), as Viscount and Baron Lowther and was created Earl of Lonsdale in 1807. William, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale most likely had the crest and earl’s coronet engraved on this pair of salvers, around 1807, when he was created 1st Earl of Lonsdale and made Knight of the Garter.
William, a great patron of the arts, married Augusta (d.1838), daughter of 9th Earl of Westmorland, in 1781. Having inherited Lowther Castle in 1802, he employed Robert Smirke (1781-1867) to rebuild the castle in a Perpendicular Revival style, from 1806 to 1811.
Robert Smirke wrote of the Earl in the Farington Diary, May 19, 1808: "His Lordship rises at 7 o'clock in the winter and earlier in the Summer ... and does a vast amount of business. His private amusement is hunting, and he keeps about 50 Hunters ... He has very good spirits, and enjoys conversation, anecdotes ., and tells pleasant stories Himself. His income is supposed to be from 80 to 100,000 a year, but He has vast expenses. He has 4 establishments, one at Lowther, also at Whitehaven, Cottesmere in Rutlandshire, and in London" (Complete Peerage).
In the late 1940s, when we were furnishing homes in Tarrytown and in Manhattan, we needed several pieces of silver for the dining room. Cecil Turner recommended Walter Wilson to us as a reliable dealer in antique silver. We purchased this pair of platters from Willson as well as many other pieces over the years. - David Rockefeller. (D. Fennimore et al., p. 404).
William, a great patron of the arts, married Augusta (d.1838), daughter of 9th Earl of Westmorland, in 1781. Having inherited Lowther Castle in 1802, he employed Robert Smirke (1781-1867) to rebuild the castle in a Perpendicular Revival style, from 1806 to 1811.
Robert Smirke wrote of the Earl in the Farington Diary, May 19, 1808: "His Lordship rises at 7 o'clock in the winter and earlier in the Summer ... and does a vast amount of business. His private amusement is hunting, and he keeps about 50 Hunters ... He has very good spirits, and enjoys conversation, anecdotes ., and tells pleasant stories Himself. His income is supposed to be from 80 to 100,000 a year, but He has vast expenses. He has 4 establishments, one at Lowther, also at Whitehaven, Cottesmere in Rutlandshire, and in London" (Complete Peerage).
In the late 1940s, when we were furnishing homes in Tarrytown and in Manhattan, we needed several pieces of silver for the dining room. Cecil Turner recommended Walter Wilson to us as a reliable dealer in antique silver. We purchased this pair of platters from Willson as well as many other pieces over the years. - David Rockefeller. (D. Fennimore et al., p. 404).
