A George III sterling silver sauce tureen, London 1811 by Benjamin Smith & James Smith III (reg. 23rd Feb 1809 – terminated by 14th Oct 1812)

Of circular form with bellied sides and an ovolo rim, all raised upon four splayed paw, rosette and anthemion bracket feet. The acanthus topped loop handles with splayed acanthus leaf junctions. The gently domed lid with detachable twin acanthus scroll handle, with an ovolo border. Engraved to the side with a crest of a cubit arm erect grasping a sword, above a helm and mantling. The other side and lid engraved with a crest of hawk rising. Fully marked underneath and part-marked to the lid flange, the base with an alignment dot and the lid with a numeral 1.

Length – 18.6 cm / 7.3 inches

Weight – 830 grams / 26.69 ozt

Another tureen of very similar form but differing lid decoration and handles also of 1811 by the same makers as the present lot was sold Bonham’s Knightsbridge, 5 Oct 2011, Lot 447 (£1,187 incl. premium) This tureen is engraved with a very similar hawk crest to the lid but with an impaled coat of arms above a helm and mantling to the body. Those arms are for are incorrectly identified by Bonham’s, and are actually for Blair impaling Stopford. For either James Blair (1788 – 1841) who married Elizabeth Catherine Stopford (d. 1886) on the 27th Dec 1815. James was the son of John Blair of County Armagh in Ireland and Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of Lieutenant-General Hon Edward Stopford (1732-1794)¬ and Letitia Blacker, or for her sister Jane Letitia Stopford (d. 1871) who married Lambert Blair (d.1815) on the 31st July 1809, they lived at Lympstone Manor, Exmouth. It would appear that Lambert was uncle to James Blair (see. Rodgers, N., (2007) Ireland, Slavery and Anti-Slavery: 1612-1865, Ireland: Palgrave Macmillan, P.94). The Stopford sisters were was the granddaughter of James Stopford, 1st Earl of Courtown (1700-1770). It is unclear if the present lot and the Bonham’s tureen relate each other or not.

Andrew Milne Collection