A William IV Silver Serving Dish and Cover, Paul Storr, London, 1836

"Ashburnham" pattern, shaped circular with high domed cover, chased with foliage and trellis, dish and cover applied with the cast arms of Ashburnham, conforming knop finial, fully marked and numbered 4, the dish with base stamped 150 and engraved No "3 - 42oz"7

Christie's, London, March 1914

marks on cover a little worn, othersise good 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The arms are those of Ashburnham for Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnham (1797-1878) who married in 1840, Katherine Charlotte, sister of George, 10th Earl of Haddington.  Ashburnham had been a great traveler in his youth and collected a number of works of fine art while in Italy and Asia.  He was also an avid collector of early and rare books and manuscripts, and amassed and extensive library of English and foreign printed works, including the Stowe Collection, which he purchased in 1849.  Ashburnham's library was in part purchased by the British Government in 1883.

On 24 March 1914, a portion of the service was dispersed by Christie's, and was catalogued as "chased with the Ashburnham arms, honeycomb-pattern and small blossoms on a matted ground".  The offered lots included: four pairs of oval dishes and covers of varying lengths (lots 118-121), a meat dish (122), a venison dish (123), two pairs of circular salvers (124, 125), a pair of soup tureens and covers (126), and four circular entrée dishes and covers (127).  Additionally, a large salver in the Ashburnham pattern weighing 205oz was sold by Sotheby's on 24 May 1953, lot 121, and a circular tray, engraved "No. 2", was sold by Sotheby's, Belgravia on 6 December 1973, lot 166.  The pair to this tray, engraved "No. 1" was sold by Sotheby's, New York, 23 April 1993, lot 429. 

Although the exact constitution of the Ashburnham Service is not presently known, the large number of pieces offered in the last century, as well as the extravagance of its decoration, suggest that it was one of the last great services completed by Storr before his 1839 retirement.  The Ashburnham household and family records are preserved at the East Sussex Records Office and may offer a more complete idea of the size of the Service and the variety of vessels it included.

The Ashburnham pattern was later reinterpreted by Hunt & Roskell in the 1860's, but is not thought to have been commissioned by the Ashburnham family as additions to the service by Storr.  An 1869 Hunt & Roskell tea and coffee set in this pattern was sold Sotheby's, New York, 5 June 1997, lot 48.