£5,200
Scottish Silver & Applied Arts | 496
Auction: 16 August 2017 at 12:00 BST
Marked IB, armorial shield twice, FB, of Hanoverian pattern, with deep bowl, the reverse of the terminal engraved WF/ SG, with double drop heel and beaded and engraved fleur de lys 'rat tail'
Note: The working careers of John and his son Francis Brown is somewhat confused. Although recorded in Perth as early as 1724 they appear to have worked in Edinburgh and possibly Elgin as well. No marks have been confidently ascribed to either of these periods and all their work is tied to Perth.
The marks they used fall into three groups (all with the very recognisable IB and FB maker's marks), with PERTH in full, a large Fleur de Lys and, as seen on this spoon, what appears to be an armorial bearing.
The use of the armorial bearing has not been explained and the use of the punch is certainly their rarest. Its large size means that when encountered it is often poorly struck leaving details hard to ascertain. This example is amongst the best noted.
The double drop and engraved 'rat tail' is also a feature unique to these makers in Scottish silver and shows much closer comparison to continental European work than British. Where this influence and the use of the fleur de lys comes from is unknown for makers with a Scottish pedigree and no obvious continental European connections.
For another example of this mark ex Sir John Noble Collection, see Lyon & Turnbull, Fine Scottish Silver, 19th August 2013, lot 452