A pair of George III silver mugs, William Holmes (Grimwade, no. 3161), London, 1769

on fluted pedestal bases below ovoid bodies engraved with a coat-of-arms between applied formal bands of interlaced strapwork, flowerheads and foliage, the scroll handles each applied with a lion, gilt interiors

Charles Jennens (1700-1776) of Gopsall, Leicestershire, and thence by descent to Viscounts Curzon of Penn (afterwards Earls Howe) through his sister and heir, Elizabeth (1705-1777), wife of William Hanmer (1704-1754, will proved 30 April 1754) of Fenn, Flintshire. The latter's only daughter and heir was Esther (d. 1764),  who married as his first wife at St. George's, Hanover Square in 1756, Assheton Curzon (1730-1820), who was created Viscount Curzon in 1802.

Marks and condition very good, the marks are struck on the edge of the lips, patina and colour are 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."

Engraved with the royal arms of France

Charles Jennens (1700-1776), the original owner of these unusual mugs, is remembered as a bibliophile, patron of the arts, collector of opera and oratorio scores and in particular for his association as both friend and librettist of the composer, George Frederick Handel. In 1747 he inherited from his father the extensive estate at Gopsall, Leicestershire, which he improved at an estimated cost of £100,000. According to an unkind contemporary he is said to have lived in such splendid style that, thanks to wealth derived from his Birmingham ancestors' manufacturing concerns, he was known among his neighbours as 'Solyman the Magnificent.' In London he lived in a similarly opulent style, with a house in Great Ormond Street, Bloomsbury. Contrary to outward appearances, Jennens was of a scholarly and serious frame of mind, deeply religious and inclined to melancholia. Alexander Chalmers (The General Biographical Dictionary, London, 1812, vol. 18, p. 513), later stated that his character 'appears, by some curious documents in our authority, to have been a strange compound of vanity, "conceit, obstinacy, ignorance, and want of taste, joined to extensive benevolence."' He never married.

Among Jennens's abiding passions was his support for the deposed Stuart line. Indeed, given the danger in admitting such an allegiance openly, the engraved arms on these present mugs may be an oblique reference to that fact; the arms of France (azure, three fleurs de lys) are the same as those of the 1^st and 4^th quarters of the Stuart arms. Furthermore, Jennens's seal featured the head of Charles I and as well as owning a large collection of Stuart portraits he caused pieces of Charles II's Boscobel Oak to be incorporated into the communion table in his splendid chapel at Gopsall. In spite of this controversial affiliation, he  managed to steer 'an honourable course between subversion and passivity... and within the bounds of legality, he declared his loyalty to the old regime.' It is also worth mentioning that the marble fireplace in the music room at Gopsall was carved with a scene representing Daniel in the lions' den ('the lions subdued, and one licks Daniel's feet'), representing the overcoming of powerful adversaries through the agency of faith. Perhaps the recumbent, rather docile lions on the handles of the mugs convey a similar meaning: the challenge facing the Stuarts.

Of the mugs themselves, it is difficult to imagine that they were ever in ordinary use. Their design appears to be unique and their quality of the best workmanship and of a type and pattern which collectors of silver bearing the mark of William Holmes, both alone and subsequently in partnership with Nicholas Dumée, are familiar. Four striking examples of two-handled cups and covers (1774-1776), three of which have complicated applied borders similar to those on the Jennens mugs, are illustrated by Robert Rowe (Adam Silver, London, 1965, pls. 20-22B).

For further background information, see 'Mr. Charles Jennens: The Compiler of Handel's Messiah,' The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, London, 1 November 1902, pp. 726-727; and Ruth Smith, 'The Achievements of Charles Jennens (1700-1773),' Music & Letters, Oxford, 2 May 1989, pp. 161-190.