A rare George II silver beer jug, Stephen Curtis, Bristol, circa 1735

spout rising from molded drop above an engraved lion rampant crest

Sotheby's London, June 6, 1996, lot 477

a few small dings to body, crest slightly later, otherwise 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Only a handful of silver with Bristol marks is known. The marks of Ralph Goode, Edward French and Stephen Curtis, dating from the 2nd quarter of the 18th century  have been noted on beer jugs, cream jugs, a taperstick and several spoons, according to Margaret Hofer in Stories in Sterling, four centuries of silver in New York, the catalog of the New York Historical Society, which possesses a tankard (with later spout) by Stephen Curtis engraved with the Stuyvesant arms, item 5.3, p. 217-8. An act of 1701 gave the city the right to an assay office. Michael Clayton suggests that some unascribed marks or wrongly ascribed marks may belong to Bristol, as he finds the absence “hardly credible”, The Collector’s Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, p. 206.