Lot 85
A George III inverted pear shaped sauce / cream boat
Auction: 16 August 2011 at 12:00 BST
Description
Alexander Gardiner 1763 (date letter in square cartouche), the deep inverted pear shaped body with trailing band of flower head and foliate garland below the gadrooned everted rim, with simple plain pouring spout, engraved crest to body under spout, with S scroll handle with well formed acanthus leaf capping, raised on a domed oval foot with gadrooned border and stepped rim
Dimensions
21.5cm long, 9oz
Footnote
Note: While this piece has always previously been described as a sauceboat, recent discussion and research into Scottish tea wares has opened questions as its original use. While the size of the piece originally had suggested a sauce boat, the lack of an obvious cream boat to form part of inverted pear shaped tea services does possibly suggest other uses.
The shape, style of manufacture and indeed decoration to this piece (and others) is very reminiscent of the inverted pear shaped tea pots and the date range of recorded examples fits within the main production of such items. Without a more obvious candidate for cream boat in the inverted pear shaped services this type of piece has to be considered a likely candidate.
Heraldry: with crest and motto of TOUJOURS PRET Always ready for DONALD AND MACDONALD
Provenance:
The Phoenix Collection
Shrubsole London
Christies 9th July 1986 lot 248
References:
'Compendium of Scottish Silver II' R & J Dietert, illustrated plate 42, listed page 467