A rare pair of George II sterling silver sauceboats, London 1740 by Paul de Lamerie (Hertogenbosch 1688 - London 1751, this mark registered 27th June 1739)

Each of oval bombe form upon four cast and applied lion paw feet with lion mask junctions. The shaped rims with reeded edge and applied moulded sections, each side with a scrolling husk shell, surrounded by flat chased decoration of foliate swags reserved in a shaped cartouche reserved with matting. The underside of lip with husk shell surrounded by foliage, surrounded with flat chased decoration of shaped baroque scrolls reserved with matting. The cast double C scrolls handle with a shell junction, each with quilted sections, all capped with an asymmetrical scallop shell and pronounced leafy sections. Each later engraved to the front with a crest of a stag’s head erased, ducally gorged. Each fully marked underneath, date letter partially obscured, each engraved with scratch weight 45=12. (2)

Length – 22 cm / 8.75 inches

Weight – 1385 grams / 44.53 ozt

This pair of sauceboats relate to two other de Lamerie pairs as all three of them are engrvaed with the same crest. A pair of sauceboat of 1745 by de Lamerie of very similiar but overall simpler form, with a dolphin form handle, anthemia instead of husk shells, gadrooned intead of reed and scroll rims, lacking the underlip cast details and additional flat chasing, sold Sotheby’s London, 25 Oct 2016, lot 561 (£32,500 incl. premium)

these sauceboats were given a provenance of:

Sotheby's New York, 21 October 1998, lot 88

Probably also sold:

Sotheby's London, 24 November 1977, lot 188

Christies London, 28 October 1964, lot 96

Another pair of 1750, of the same form as the 1745 pair sold Lyon and Turnbull, The Chen Colletion, 23 Nov 2008, lot 194 (£39,650 incl. prem).

The crest being described on both of pairs as for Richard, 1^st Baron Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe, however his crest is a boar statant, gorged with a wreath of oak-leaves, fructed, this is not the owner of this crest upon these sauceboats which is used by a great many families. Without further heraldic or documentary accounts a definitive identification remains unlikely but there is certainly precedent for earlier 18^th century plate being re-sold in the late 18^th and early 19^th century, such as the Drury-Lowe tureen of 1736 by Paul de Lamerie. It is quite feasible that closely matched pairs of 1740/50’s sauceboats were sold as a set to a new owner using this crest and were subsequently separated later in time.

For a pair of sauceboats of 1737 by de Lamerie of the same form, with the lion masks looking outward instead and lacking the flat chased details, engraved with the arms of Sir Matthew Lamb, Baronet (1705-1768), sold Christie’s New York, 22 May 2008, lot 201 ($157,000 incl. premium). Then sold again Christie’s New York, 21 June 2012, Lot 1137 ($68,500 incl. premium).

The lamb sauceboats were sold with another matching pair of 1739, both pairs sold at Christie's, London, 24 November 1971, lots 21 and 22.

For sauceboats from the Anson service of 1739 also by de Lamerie, that while of a different form share similar Baroque flat chased decoration surrounding the rim and applied sections, sold Christie’s New York, 19 Oct 2012, lot 209 ($43,750 incl. premium)