A GEORGE V SILVER-GILT CUP AND COVER, MAKER'S MARK OF CATCHPOLE & WILLIAMS (AS RETAILERS), LONDON, 1913

in mid-18^{th Century style, richly applied with cast rococo details including masks representing the Four Continents and attributes of the Four Elements, the handles surmounted by busts of a satyr and a bacchante, the body engraved on either side with coats-of-arms, the underside of the foot inscribed, pineapple finial}

Appear to have been lacquered. Lacquer is normally easy to remove. Some wear to gilding in a couple of small areas, but general condition is very good, engraving and marks also very good.
"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."

The inscription reads: 'This Cup represents a Legacy from the Reverend Canon John Blake-Humfrey (23.I.1847 - 13.VIII.1930) to his Nephew Samuel Gurney.'

The arms on one side are those of Humfrey quartering Blake for the Rev. Canon John Blake Humfrey (1847-1930), third son of Robert Blake Humfrey (1795-1886) of Wroxham, Norfolk, by his wife Charlotte (d. 1894), youngest daughter of Lt. Col. John Harvey of Thorpe Lodge, Norwich. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was Rector of Great Dunham, Swaffham, Norfolk, the living of which was the gift of his father, before being promoted as Canon of Norwich. He was married twice, first in 1874 to Anne (d. 1900), third daughter of John Carpenter of Mount Tavy, Devon, and second in 1905 to Harriet Isabella, second daughter of the Rev. James Empson Alcock, Rector of Hawling and Charlton Abbots, Gloucestershire.

The arms on the other side are those of Gurney of Walshingham Abbey and Sprowston Hall, Norfolk, for the recipient of this cup, Samuel Gurney (1885-1968), sixth son John Gurney (1845-1887) of Sprowston Hall, a partner in Gurney's Bank, and his wife, whom he married in 1871, Isabel Charlotte, daughter of Robert Blake Humfrey, of Wroxham, aforesaid. A director of the Medici Society, he lived in Albemarle Street, Mayfair, and at the house at Compton Regis, Berkshire, which he purchased in 1925. He was described in his obituary in The Times (8 July 1968, p. 10g) as 'one of the best-known and best-loved laymen of the Church of England.'
Of the several surviving mid-18^th Century London-made silver or silver-gilt cups and covers upon which the design of this cup appears to have been based, the most closely related is that in the Goldsmiths' Company collection, bearing the maker's mark of Thomas Farren, 1740. For an illustration and detailed description, see John Bodman Carrington and George Ravensworth Hughes, The Plate of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London, 1926, p. 92, p. 59. Compare also with a Thomas Farren cup and cover of 1742 (Christie's, London, 27 April 1995, lot 77), and two William Grundy examples of 1747 and 1753 (respectively Sotheby's, London, 24 July 1975, lot 207, and Christie's, London, 14 July 1965, lot 157).