Of Philadelphia Interest: George III Silver Sauce Tureen and Cover, William Holmes, London, 1783

Sotheby's New York, October 21, 2010, lot 166 (one of a pair)

The inscription on the covers reads: "In evidence of Gratitude to Edward Shippen Burd for his official Legal services and uniform kind attentions to his relation and affectionate friend, Elizabeth Powel, 1823".

Edward Shippen Burd (1779−1848) was a well-respected Philadelphia lawyer. In 1810 he married Eliza Howard Sims, with whom he had eight children, all of whom died before their parents. After his death in 1848, his widow commissioned a monument to be erected at Philadelphia’s St. Stephen’s Church and established a school for orphaned girls in his honor. Rembrandt Peale painted a portrait of Burd several years after he had been admitted to the bar, which is now in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Elizabeth Willing Powel (1743−1830) was a prominent member of the Philadelphia elite and the aunt of Edward Shippen Burd. She was the daughter of Charles Willing, who twice served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1748 until 1749 and again in 1754, and Anne Shippen. Her brother, Thomas Willing, also served as Mayor of Philadelphia in 1763 and was a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. She married in 1769 Samuel Powel, who served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1775 to 1776 and 1789 to 1790. Since Philadelphia's mayoral office was abolished early in the revolutionary period, Powel was the last colonial mayor of the city and the first to serve after the United States gained independence. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1790 to his death in 1793.

As part of a politically powerful family, Elizabeth hosted frequent gatherings and after the Revolution established a salon of the Republican Court  of leading intellectuals and political figures that was attended by the likes of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette and John Adams. She was a close friend and confidant to George Washington. While in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention in May 1787, Washington visited the Powel house at least thirteen times, spending more time there than with any other family in the city. The Powel's also visited Mount Vernon in that same year.

As the sole heir to Samuel’s fortune, Elizabeth was responsible for overseeing a vast commercial empire. She managed accounts, collected rent, serviced debt, donated to charities, and paid annuities to family members and business partners. With no formal education in business, Elizabeth sought advice from her nephew and lawyer, Edward Shippen Burd. Edward also served as one of the executors of her estate upon her death. In 1938, the Powel House on South Third Street was acquired by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks and opened to the public as a museum.