Guinea

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Lot 317
  • 317

A pair of George III silver-gilt caskets, Lewis Herne and Francis Butty, London, 1761

Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • silver
  • 24cm., 9 1/2 in. wide
shaped oblong, each embossed with rococo ornament on a scalework ground, the hinged covers engraved with a crest below an earl's coronet within a rococo cartouche

Provenance

Partridge Fine Art Ltd., London

Condition

Marked on bodies and covers. Full set of marks on the body, maker and lion passant on the cover. Clear marks. One very slightly wobbly on its base, small areas of discoloured metal at base of fronts, ornament and crests reasonably crisp, decent size and weight
"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."

Catalogue Note

The crest and coronet are those of Perceval, Earls of Egmont.

Lewis Herne, one of the children of Basil Herne and his wife, Sophia, was baptised at St. Gregory by St Paul, London, on 24 April 1733. He was apprenticed to Richard Gurney of Foster Lane on 3 February 1748 and gained his freedom on 7 May 1755. He entered his first mark on 13 July 1757 in partnership with Francis Butty from premises in Clerkenwell Close, St. James, Clerkenwell.  Herne & Butty (before the former absconded in 1765) were suppliers of silver to Phillips Garden, the retail goldsmith of St. Paul’s Churchyard, and also to Parker & Wakelin, the commercial ancestors of Garrard’s. For further information, see Helen Clifford, Silver in London, The Parker and Wakelin Partnership 1760-1776, New Haven and London, 2004, pp. 80-81.