A Regency Ambassadorial silver-gilt five-part mirror plateau, Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith, London, the coats of arms by Paul Storr, 1806 / 1814

with curved ends, the openwork border with squared rosettes, on winged lion-paw feet, applied four times with the Royal arms and four times with arms under baron's coronet, wood based, in fitted iron-bound chest, marked on all sections and coats of arms 

joins between sections slightly uneven, wood base to section 2 dips in one corner, section 4 with solder repairs to base of gallery on one side (not obvious), otherwise good condition, nice gilding color, crisp detail and important provenance
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 non-Royal arms are those of Stewart with a crescent for difference, for Charles William, 1st Baron Stewart, later 3rd Marquess of Londonderry (1778-1854).

The Hon. Charles WIlliam Stewart was the son of Robert Stewart, Marquess of Londonderry, and half-brother to Viscount Castlereagh, the Foreign Secretary.  He entered the army at age 16, was made an ADC to the King in 1803, and served as Under Secretary for War and Colonies 1807-1809.  He "distinguished himself greatly" (The Peerage) as Adjutant General under Sir John Moore in the Peninsular War (1809-12), particularly at the Douro and Talavera, and was voted the thanks of the House of Commons in 1810.  He was made a Colonel in 1813 and continued at this level with various regiments until his death.

His diplomatic career, during which he worked closely with his half brother, began with his role as Envoy Entraordinaire and Minister Plenipotentiary to Berlin 1813-14, after which he served as Ambassador to Vienna for nine years, until 1823.  He began this post by also serving as one of the representatives to the Congress of Vienna.  Lord Charles' personal splendor during the Congress earned him the nickname the "Golden Peacock," though another nickname was "Big Lord Pumpernickel," and the Congress gossiped about his fighting with cab drivers, goosing debutantes at the Opera, and affairs with the Duchesse de Sagan and Princess Bagration.

Lord Charles' personal flair was matched by that of his table.  This plateau, a few years old but updated with the arms of its recipient in 1814, was one of the most impressive items supplied by the Jewel House for the new ambassador.  Much of the rest of the Londonderry plate was purchased by British government and can now be seen in the Banqueting Room at Brigton Pavillion, including a pair of gilt soup tureens, six gilt wine coolers, and a gilt candelabrum centerpiece, all by Paul Storr, 1813-14, four gilt decanter stands and ten gilt wine labels, by Benjamin and James Smith, 1809-10, and even a pair of gilt trays by Luigi Valadier (see Jessica M.F. Rutherford, The Royal Pavilion: The Palace of George IV, 1995, pp. 55-57).

 Other pieces supplied for either the short Berlin posting or that of Vienna include twelve white silver plates and two meat platters by Storr, 1813 (sold Sotheby's, New York, May 20, 2004, lots 21-22) and a pair of entree dishes by the same, 1814 (sold ditto, April 5, 2007, lot 384). 

This impressive dining plate was put to good use, for Stewart's chef in Vienna was none other than the great Antonin Carême, fresh from cooking for the Prince Regent.  Carême described Stewart as "handsome, polite, spiritual, intelligent, loyal, generous... and a great lover of the table."  He stated, "for a young lord, an Embassy is a course in gastronomy as much as in diplomacy" (Ian Kelly, Cooking for Kings: Antonin Carême, the Life of the First Celebrity Chef).  Despite dedicating several books to the Stewarts and inventing a "partridge soup à la Stewart" ["very much to the taste of English lords"] by 1820  Carême had left for Russia to cook for the Tsar. 

Society thronged to the embassy on the Minoritenplatz, commenting on the Turkish pages in fancy dress and the after-dinner dramatics of distinctly amatuer level.  While staying with the ambassador in Vienna, the painter Sir Thomas Lawrence wrote to a friend, "Comfortable Dinners and Theatre - Spendid Dinners and High Society - Reviews and Court Fêtes, form part of the History of my present residence with Him" (H. Montgomery Hyde, Londonderry House and its Pictures, n.d., p. 12).

Already a Lord of the Bedchamber in 1814, Lord Charles was created that same year Baron Stewart of Stewart's Court and Ballylawn.  In 1819 he married as his second wife Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, 22 years his junior and one of the wealthiest heiresses of the day.  In 1822, on the suicide of his half-brother, he succeeded as Marquess of Londonderry.  The couple purchased a house in Park Lane and had it remodeled by Benjamin Dean Wyatt for over 200,000 pounds.  The magnificence of the establishment set a standard which impressed even Disraeli and served as a power center for the Tory party.  The 3rd Marquess died in 1854, with his widow surviving until 1865.