A Victorian Large Silver-Gilt Tankard, Charles Reily & George Storer, London, 1845

Dreweatts 1759, Newbury, UK, 3 April 1996, lot 563

The inscription reads "Plymouth 1889-90 / One Hundred Guinea Prize Presented by Lord Revelstoke, won by Yacht Dearhound, Owner Charles G Nottage, L.L.B. / Who also won the Queen's Jubilee Prize, value 300 Guineas with Yacht Foxhound, Cowes 1887"

Known as ‘Captain Nottage' from his military service, Charles George Nottage (1852-1894) was a famous Yachtsman from an affluent Essex-based family. His prized boat was the Deerhound: she was a cutter with lines designed by G. L. Watson and fitted with Lapthorn and Ratseys sails. The present work was presented as a racing trophy by Lord Revelstoke, who at the time was the head of the Bank of England. In 1890, Nottage became too ill to continue racing, and he pivoted to sailing in search of a more hospitable climate for his lung disease. This expedition resulted in his book In Search of a Better Climate. Upon Captain Nottage's death, his will granted funds to establish an educational nautical institute for yachtsmen; the Nottage Maritime Institute continues to thrive today in Wivenhoe, UK.

Another tankard with this same scene by Philip Rundell of 1821 was part of the Alan & Simone Hartman Collection of Regency Silver that sold at Christies, New York, October 20, 1999, lot 208. Another by Philip Rundell of 1820 was sold at Sotheby's, New York, December 16-17, 1982, lot 540; it was presumably intended as a gift for a Russian patron, with its Russian Imperial eagle finial and its cover depicting the Northern Hemisphere with relevant Russian cities.