A good Charles II sterling silver covered twin handled bowl or écuelle, London 1668 by WC above a scallop shell between two pellets, possibly William Carter (free 1666)

Of compressed circular form upon a short collet foot with a corded and applied rim. The twin C scroll handles with applied twisted rope work. The rounded section of the body with applied cut card work. The pull off gently domed lid with a twisted edge, all surmounted by a coiled wire work snake form finial with a serpent’s head, all above a cut card work terrace. The base and lid later engraved with mid-18^th century twin crests of firstly a demi lion rampant and secondly a boar’s head erased, langued. Fully marked to the underneath and to the top of lid edge. Scratched underneath No 3 with various other numerals and characters.

Length – 18.8 cm / 7.45 inches

Weight – 588 grams / 18.9 ozt

Sold as a “broth bowl”, illustrated with marks: Phillips, London, 21 January 1994, Lot 159 (£5800 hammer)

A snuffers and tray of 1670 bearing this maker's mark was sold Sotheby's London, 24 April 1930, lot 128 and is illustrated in Hackenbroch, Y., (1963) English and Other Silver in the Irwin Untermyer Collection, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, plate 53. (68.141.55, .56). This maker's mark is not recorded in Jackson's.

A blind caster of 1672 bearing the maker’s mark WC crown above, rosette below in a shield shape punch is illustrated Carver Wees, B. (1997), English, Scottish and Irish Silver at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Hudson Hills Press: New York, P. 208. Here is it suggested that this mark is for William Carter, where the attribution was made by Gerald Taylor, who notes that Carter is last mentioned in 1682. The mark on this caster is also not recorded in Jackson’s. This caster also uses cut card work and applied rope twist moulding.

This bowl and cover most likely one formed part of a dressing table service, much like the two shallow bowls and covers as part of the Sizergh Toilet Service, made circa 1680 by Robert Smythier (V&A Collection M.21K/1-1968). This covered bowl is among the earliest earliest pieces of fully marked London silver to use cut card work as well as the twisted serpent ring finial. A pair of cups and covers of 1667, possibly by Nathaniel Saunderson is illustrated Schroder, T. (2009), British and Continental Gold and Silver in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, Volume I, fig. 57, p.154-155. These have very similiar handles upon a cut card work terrace, the lid also with ropetwist edge. Another is a covered twin handled cup or porringer of 1668 by John Bodendick, illustrated Wark, R. (1978). British Silver in the Huntington Collection, Castle Press, California, p. 11, f. 22. This piece also has a shaped cut card work terrace to a serpent finial (with less coils) also all edged with ropetwist. Cut card work, a French decorative technique, would have first been introduced to English silversmithing with the Restoration in 1660 and the Franco influence brought to England with the court of Charles II. Surviving French examples of snake handle over cut card work upon these écuelle forms are as early as 1657 (Bimbenet-Privat 2002), an example of 1666 by François Jacob is in the Lourve (OA 9426).