A pair of George III silver-gilt scent flasks, Parker & Wakelin, London, 1766

shaped square, gadroon borders, each engraved with a coat-of-arms within a rococo cartouche, screw-on covers

John Heathcote (1727?-1795) of Luffenham, Rutland, and Conington Castle, Huntingdonshire

condition and marks good, with very minor wear to gilding and one has a very small dent to one side
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The arms are those of Heathcote quartering Rayner with Moyer in pretence for John Heathcote (1727?-1795) of Luffenham, Rutland, and Conington Castle, Huntingdonshire. He was the second son of Sir John Heathcote, 2^nd Bt. (1689-1759) by Bridget, daughter of John White, of Wallingwells, Nottinghamshire, and grandson of Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1^st Bt. (1652-1733), a wealthy  merchant and one of the first directors of the Bank of England, who died with an estate valued in excess of £700,000, and his wife, Hester (d. 1714), daughter of Christopher Rayner, merchant of London.

John Heathcote, who was Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1767/68 and MP for Rutland from 1790 until his death, was married on 27 October 1764 to Lydia, daughter and coheir of Benjamin Moyer, a former Turkey merchant, of Low Leyton, Essex.

These flasks, described as two ‘essence pots,’ were originally part of a silver-gilt toilet service including 8 boxes, a pair of candlesticks, a mirror and a pair of pierced octagonal trays or dishes, which is recorded in John Parker and Edward Wakelin’s Gentleman’s Ledger No. 3, folio 154. The pair of dishes were included in the How of Edinburgh sale at Woolley & Wallis, 30 October 2007, lot 386, and four of the boxes were given by Mrs Charles Wrightsman in 2008 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.