William Phipps, 1936-2009

comprising one basting spoon and four serving spoons

Overall 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. 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."

William Anthony Dominic Phipps was born in Berlin in 1936, the sixth and  youngest child of Sir Eric Phipps, the British ambassador in Germany. William's mother Frances was the daughter of the African explorer and artist Herbert Ward. William joined the Royal Marines and then the Royal Canadian Navy, after a drunken spree in Victoria, British Columbia, where he became a deep-sea diver. Hauled up on a charge of inebriating his fellow ratings with champagne at Christmas, he threw a cork at an officer and jumped overboard into the freezing waters off Newfoundland. He finally obtained an honourable discharge and married Henrietta, daughter of the artist Henry Lamb. He then undertook an apprenticeship with the ecclesiastical silversmith Michael Murray, in Clerkenwell before setting up his own workshop.
The Victoria & Albert Museum, Goldsmiths' Hall, the Design Centre, Sotheby's, the Barbican Centre, Leighton House, and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge have all displayed Phipps's work. One of his specialities was making large paddle spoons; and in 2002 he was asked to create examples with the Queen's Jubilee hallmark, to be sold by the Friends of the Victoria and Albert.
He was then diagnosed with lung cancer, described as a "heart-lifting" patient he passed away on 1st October 2009.