A George III silver hot water or coffee jug, Thomas Heming, London, 1758

baluster, spirally fluted above a quilted lower section, on spreading wavy foot, the hinged cover with gadrooned border, bud finial, moulded flower and leaf spout, engraved with two coats of arms, the underside engraved with scratch weight '30 '' 10'

The royal coat of arms are engraved on one side of this coffee jug and the arms below an earl's coronet on the other side are those of the Irish-born British colonial administrator and diplomat, George Macartney (1737-1806), who in 1776 was created Lord Macartney, Baron of Lissanoure. He was further ennobled in 1792 as Viscount Macartney of Dervock and again, on his return from his embassy to China in 1794, as Earl Macartney. All his honours became extinct upon his death. His widow, Jane, second daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bute, whom he married in 1768, died at the age of 85 in 1828.

Fully marked on underside, lion passant and maker's mark on rim of cover, overall very 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."

Several London-made silver coffee jugs with identical or similar cast spouts formed as coffee shrub sprays have been recorded, all dating from the decade or so from 1747. Christopher Hartop drew attention to one such jug, Phillips Garden, London, 1752, in his catalogue of the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection, where he mentions two such Paul de Lamerie jugs, both 1749. Hartop further  illustrates a mid-18^th Century design (Victoria & Albert Museum) with rococo decoration and overlapping leaf spout which is similar to an actual silver coffee pot, Edward Wakelin, London, 1753 (The Antique Collector, London, August 1959, advertisement; The Huguenot Legacy, London, 1996, pp. 240, and 332-335, no. 82). Another, earlier Lamerie jug with leaf spout and moth finial, London, 1747, was sold at Sotheby’s, London, on 13 July 1967, lot 201. The inspiration for these coffee leaf designs is unknown but ceramic prototypes have been suggested, such as the white Chelsea porcelain jug of 1744-46, illustred in F. Severne Mackenna, Chelsea Porcelain, The Triangle and Raised Anchor Wares, Leigh-on-Sea, 1948, pl. 5. Paul de Lamerie himself had explored similar patterns some years before when he was commissioned to supply a tea kettle (1736) and a coffee pot (1738) for Sir John Lequesne, a wealthy London tobacco merchant; both pieces are decorated with cast vignettes and other details including sprays of foliage and flowers from the tobacco plant.  Surviving French silver examples are known, perhaps the most familiar being the fluted coffee pot, François Thomas Germain, Paris, 1757, from the celebrated service commissioned by Joseph I of Portugal (Faith Dennis, Three Centuries of French Domestic Silver, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1960, p. 117, no. 150).

The unusual decoration of waved spiral flutes above quilting on the body and lid of this coffee jug is a feature of several covered cups bearing Thomas Heming’s mark, recorded as dating from between 1752 and 1759. For example, see the set of three such cups sold at Sotheby’s, New York, on 16 October 1996, lot 303.