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Lot Essay
The arms found on the reverse of these sideboard dishes are those of Whitworth with Cope in pretence, for Charles, 1st Earl Whitworth G.C.B. (1752-1825) and his wife Arabella Diana (1767-1826), daughter and co-heir of Sir Charles Cope 2nd Bt. (1743-1781), whom he married in 1801, engraved between 1813 and 1815.
The later crests are those of Sackville and West, presumably for Mortimer Sackville-West (1820-1888), engraved between 1870 and 1876, created 1st Baron Sackville of Knole in 1876.
CHARLES, 1ST VISCOUNT WHITWORTH G.C.B. (1752-1825)
Charles Whitworth was born at Leybourne Grange, Kent as the eldest son of Sir Charles Whitworth, MP (c.1721-1778) and Martha Whitworth (d.1786). He was educated at Tonbridge School and initially entered the army, serving in North America in 1776-77 and by early 1783 rising to lieutenant-colonel of the 104th regiment. Charles continued his government service with diplomatic posts and expeditions in Poland, Russia, Denmark, and France and was made Baron Whitworth of Newport Pratt, co. Galway in 1800. On 7 April 1801 he had married by special license at Dorset House, Westminster, Arabella Diana Sackville, dowager duchess and widow of the 3rd Duke of Dorset (1767-1825), daughter and co-heir of Sir Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet, of Brewherne, Oxfordshire, and a great heiress. They settled at Knole and were popular locally, improving the grounds and becoming known for their charity. This period of domestic happiness was upset by the dramatic and scandalous appearance of the Russian Countess Gerbetzov, sister of the Empress Catherine's last favorite, who alleged that she had financially supported and promoted Whitworth in Russia in exchange for certain promises she now wished to claim upon. She travelled to London with her husband, arriving too late to impede the marriage but allegedly accepting a bribe of £10,000 from the duchess to depart again. In 1813 Whitworth was appointed as a lord of the bedchamber and viceroy of Ireland before being created a British peer as Viscount Whitworth of Adbaston, Staffordshire. Two years later he was created GCB on 2 June and Baron Adbaston and Earl Whitworth on 25 November 1815.
The early 19th century chasing found on the present lot is in the style of William Pitts. Pitts began his career as a sculptor before reproducing many of his low reliefs in silver and silver-gilt. Later under the direction of the Royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, Pitts was one of the first 19th-century English silversmiths to incorporate antique plaques (or castings from them) into his work. Beyond his low relief work, Pitts became known for a signature style of chased decoration around his central plaques incorporating floral decoration, similar to the chasing found on the present lot. A sideboard dish by Pitts from 1809 with similar chasing to that seen on the present lot was sold Christie's, New York, 27 October 2015, lot 81.
The later crests are those of Sackville and West, presumably for Mortimer Sackville-West (1820-1888), engraved between 1870 and 1876, created 1st Baron Sackville of Knole in 1876.
CHARLES, 1ST VISCOUNT WHITWORTH G.C.B. (1752-1825)
Charles Whitworth was born at Leybourne Grange, Kent as the eldest son of Sir Charles Whitworth, MP (c.1721-1778) and Martha Whitworth (d.1786). He was educated at Tonbridge School and initially entered the army, serving in North America in 1776-77 and by early 1783 rising to lieutenant-colonel of the 104th regiment. Charles continued his government service with diplomatic posts and expeditions in Poland, Russia, Denmark, and France and was made Baron Whitworth of Newport Pratt, co. Galway in 1800. On 7 April 1801 he had married by special license at Dorset House, Westminster, Arabella Diana Sackville, dowager duchess and widow of the 3rd Duke of Dorset (1767-1825), daughter and co-heir of Sir Charles Cope, 2nd Baronet, of Brewherne, Oxfordshire, and a great heiress. They settled at Knole and were popular locally, improving the grounds and becoming known for their charity. This period of domestic happiness was upset by the dramatic and scandalous appearance of the Russian Countess Gerbetzov, sister of the Empress Catherine's last favorite, who alleged that she had financially supported and promoted Whitworth in Russia in exchange for certain promises she now wished to claim upon. She travelled to London with her husband, arriving too late to impede the marriage but allegedly accepting a bribe of £10,000 from the duchess to depart again. In 1813 Whitworth was appointed as a lord of the bedchamber and viceroy of Ireland before being created a British peer as Viscount Whitworth of Adbaston, Staffordshire. Two years later he was created GCB on 2 June and Baron Adbaston and Earl Whitworth on 25 November 1815.
The early 19th century chasing found on the present lot is in the style of William Pitts. Pitts began his career as a sculptor before reproducing many of his low reliefs in silver and silver-gilt. Later under the direction of the Royal goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, Pitts was one of the first 19th-century English silversmiths to incorporate antique plaques (or castings from them) into his work. Beyond his low relief work, Pitts became known for a signature style of chased decoration around his central plaques incorporating floral decoration, similar to the chasing found on the present lot. A sideboard dish by Pitts from 1809 with similar chasing to that seen on the present lot was sold Christie's, New York, 27 October 2015, lot 81.