NELSON: A Pair of George III Silver Soup Plates from the Copenhagen Service, Timothy Renou, London, 1801

The arms are those of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk.

The inscription reads, 'This plate is one of a set which was presented by the Committee appointed to manage the Subscription raised at LLoyd's for the benefit of the Wounded and the Relatives of those who were killed in the bombardment of Copenhagen on the 2nd April 1801, to Vice Admiral Lord Nelson KB, Duke of Bronte &c, in testimony of his brilliant and gallant conduct during the whole of that memorable Action'

Early in 1801, Nelson determined that the Northern Confederation had to be broken. The Confederation formed at the end of 1800, which included Russia, Denmark, Sweden and Prussia had closed the Baltic to the British and deprived its fleet of vital raw materials. In order to do this Danish forces would have to be held in check whilst a detachment advanced to the Baltic to destroy the Russian squadron at Reval. On 1 April Nelson took his fleet past Copenhagen and at 10am the next day began to fire at the Danish forces. The action was met with heavy and sustained bombardment from the Danes. Responding to advice from his Commander-in-Chief, Sir Hyde Parker, to 'discontinue the action', Nelson famously held his telescope to his blinded eye and declared that he could not see the instruction. By 2pm the battle was over and shortly after a truce was declared. The victory meant that the Danes abandoned the Armed Neutrality and the Baltic was re-opened once more to the British.

Following the victory at Copenhagen, The Chairman of the Underwriter's of Lloyds Coffee House, Julius Angerstein, announced that the Committee had granted £500 to be spent on the presentation plate for Nelson. This plate was meant to augment the Nile Service which the committee had presented to Nelson in 1800. These two plates form part of the second important commission, and other pieces also by Timothy Renou, London, 1801, from the Copenhagen Service are in the collection of Lloyds of London. In 1803 the Committee was formalized as the Lloyd's Patriotic Fund whose commissions were to include the well known Trafalgar Vases. 

A Dinner plate from the Copenhagen service was sold Sotheby's London, 9th June 1994 lot 251.