THE STUART FAMILY OF BUTE DESK SEAL
A LATE 18TH-CENTURY BOXWOOD AND BRASS DESK SEAL, CIRCA 1775
£5,292
Auction: 19 May 2023 from 10:00 BST
Description
the wooden baluster handle with mushroom capped terminal, to a brass collar and integral matrix, engraved with the arms of Stuart and a martlet cadency for the fourth son and the motto NOBILIS IRA
Dimensions
Length: 9cm, matrix: 3.2cm x 2.7cm
Footnote
Note:
The Bute family can trace their lineage back to the 12th century. They have been on the Island of Bute on the West coast of Scotland for over seven hundred years and have lived on the present site for almost three centuries. The 2nd Earl of Bute constructed the first Mount Stuart house in 1716.
But it was the 3rd Earl of Bute, (1713-1792) who first accelerated the family's standing. In 1756 the 3rd Earl was named Groom of the Stole to the young Prince of Wales, soon to be George III. His influence helped develop both his personal philosophies and artistic tastes, with his young prince referring to Bute as his "dearest friend." His role as First Lord of the Treasury in 1762 in effect Prime Minister this confirmed his trust.
The family’s fortune was made by the fortuitous marriage between the 4th Earl and Charlotte Jane Windsor, heiress to vast estates in South Wales, and further rewarded by his appointment, to the 1st Marquess of Bute in 1796.
This relationship is mirrored with that of his purported favourite son Charles Stuart (1753-1801) who Lord Bute personally tutored. It seems possible that this seal relates to a fourth son of the Earls of Bute, likely the 4th Earl of Bute. As the fourth son, he had a military career and achieved lieutenant general by 1798. He passed away in London in 1801.