A PAIR OF VICTORIAN PARCEL-GILT SILVER DESSERT STANDS, GEORGE FOX FOR C.T. & G. FOX, PROBABLY RETAILED BY LAMBERT & CO, COVENTRY STREET, LONDON, LONDON, 1861

circular and pearl-finished, the domed bases and shallow bowls chased with foliate strapwork, each stem cast in the form of a cherub, frosted glass liners (2)

Frederick Knight, Vases And Ornaments : Designed For The Use Of Architects, Silversmiths, Jewellers, Modellers, London, 1833.

John Culme, Nineteenth-Century Silver, Country Life, London, 1977, pp. 166-67.

In excellent overall condition
"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."

Although the long association between the Fox workshops and Lambert's retail business has been commented upon elsewhere, it is worth stressing that the latter relied heavily for its stock in silver and silver-gilt on second-hand German, Dutch and Flemish pieces. It is not surprising, therefore, that the often florid styles of such items influenced the design of Lambert's modern plate, particularly that supplied by the Fox workshops. From an early period (the 1820s) Fox developed for Lambert a distinctive style in a range of tea and coffee sets, children's mugs, inkstands, standing cups and the like whose quaint designs were often a charming mixture of seventeenth century forms and decoration and the then popular naturalistic style as evidenced by the engravings of Frederick Knight.

 

In addition, the Fox/Lambert collaboration produced silver in a less fanciful antique taste, of which these dessert stands are a fine example: nicely conceived and excellently finished. Again, their design was influenced by pieces that passed through Lambert's antique silver department. Examples of such include a standing salt cellar in the form of a flower seller balancing a basket upon her head (maker's mark of C.T. & G. Fox, London, 1858) based on the figural stem of a 1627 silver-gilt tazza signed by the Utrecht goldsmith, Adam Van Vianen (1565-1627).