A Set of Four George III Silver Entree Dishes and Covers, Paul Storr / Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith II, London, 1805, 1806

of rounded rectangular form, the dishes with molded gadroon rims with shells at corners, sides engraved with earl's coronet above double ladder crest, the conforming domed covers engraved with contemporary arms and supporters within a drapery mantles, with two-part finial formed as an entwined serpent on a platform of water-leaves and buds, fully marked and numbered 1-4, the covers by Paul Storr, 1805, the dishes by Digby & Scott, 1806

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 Bennet, for Charles Bennet, 5th Earl of Tankerville, with the arms of Colebrooke in pretense.  Charles Bennet was born in 1743 and inherited the title up on his father's 1767 death.  He married Emma, daughter and co-heir of Sir James Colebrooke, 1st Bart. of Gatton, on 7 October 1771.  In 1805, the same year as the present lot, Creevey noted of the couple: "A haughty, honerable man... is now a misanthrope, but very communicative and entertaining... His only remaining passion is for clever men, of which description he considers himself as one, tho' certainly unjustly.  Lady Tankerville has perhaps as much merit as any woman in England,  She is, too, very clever, and has great wit; but she, like her Lord, is depress'd and unhappy".  Bennet died at his villa at Walton-on-Thames in 1822.  Since the 13th century, Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, has served as the ancestral home of the Earls of Tankerville, and is reported to be one of the most haunted sites in England.