Queen Adelaide service – A pair of early Victorian sterling silver Royal sauce tureens, London 1837 by William Bateman II

Each of compressed circular form with twin handles formed as oak leaf branches with acorns, with a husk shell, scroll and gadrooned rim, all upon four rocaille and acanthus asymmetrical scroll feet. Each with a pull off domed lid with a fluted edge, surmounted by detachable cast finials of the Royal crown upon a tasselled cushion. The interior with pull out liners with twin scroll handles. The lid and bodies engraved to each side with initials AR in cursive script, encircled and surmounted by the Royal crown. Each stamped underneath RUNDELL BRIDGE ET Co AURIFICES REGINÆ LONDINI. Each marked throughout with numerals 3 and 4. Each fully marked underneath, part-marked to liner, lids, wingnuts, and finials. (2)

Length – 22 cm / 8.6 inches

Weight – 3108 grams / 99.92 ozt

The cypher and initials are for Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (1792-1849), consort of King William IV (1765-1837).

The Adelaide service was a Royal dinner service engraved with either the cypher of King William IV and Queen Adelaide, or just Queen Adelaide alone, as with these tureens. This service was dispersed by auction by Christie's London on the 18^th May 1898 'Old English Silver plate' as 'A large Service of Plates and Dishes, &c. richly chased and weighing 10,000 ounces, formerly the Property of QUEEN ADELAIDE', including 168 dinner plates, 30 soup plates, a circular bread basket, four wine coolers, two pairs of soup tureens, six sauce tureens, and various meat and serving dishes. During the 1840's the Queen leased Bentley Priory, Middlesex, seat of the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn.

A soup tureen from this service was sold Christie’s London, 26 Jan 2006, Lot 65 (£66,000 incl. prem)

Another is illustrated Brett., V., (1986), The Sotheby's Directory of Silver 1600-1940, London, p. 260-261, fig. 1182.

A soup tureen of 1836 by the same maker with the same feet, was commissioned by William IV and Queen Adelaide as a gift to the Hon. William Henry John North (1836-1932) 11^th Baron North.

The Adelaide centerpiece or ganiture of 1839-40 and 1852 by Robert Garrard was commissioned by the Queen and gifted to Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1796-1870), Sotheby's Geneva, 19/20 May 1997, lot 313.

Provenance:

Commissioned from Rundell Bridge and Rundell by King William IV

Given to Albert, 1st Baron Londesborough (1805-1860)
then by descent to
William, 2nd Baron and later 1st Earl Londesborough (1834-1900)
A Nobleman [Earl of Londesborough]; Christie's London, 18 May 1898, (two of six)

Sir Lewis Richardson (1873-1934) who owned Harrington House in 1924, now The Russian Embassy, at 13 Kensington Palace Gardens, thence by descent.