FOUR GEORGE III SAUCE BOATS SET. SILVER. HENRY CHAWNER, 1790.

Set of four George III sauce boats. Silver. Henry Chawner (act. 1786-1796), 1790. Each of them has an oval base, with fine mouldings that are repeated both on the edge of the sauce boat, visually extended by the curved line of the two handles, and on the top of the lid, in the shape of a vase. There are hardly any other decorative elements on the pieces, apart from those already mentioned and a series of elements engraved on the lids (bull heads with necks) and on the front of the sauce boats. In this area there is a motto in Latin (“Fide et amore”, “fidelity and love”) under a heraldic shield on each one (three bull heads, two above and one below, separated by a goat; two rampant lions flanking a diagonal band on the escutcheon of the same). The lines and elegance of the pieces are typical of the George III style. The heraldry is very reminiscent of that of the Boleyn family, Bullen or Boleyn, descended from Anne Boleyn. The motto is said to allude to a game commissioned for a wedding. In 1790 William Bullen and Mary Collins were married in the Irish branch of the family, although this was not the only event of that year (Henry Bullen and Margaret Tarrent in the diocese of Cloyne...). The hallmarks provide a wealth of information about the pieces. The lion passant places the manufacture in London, while the two initials refer to Henry Chawner; the lower-case letter gives the exact year; the leopard's head certifies the quality of the material. The silversmith's shop, still in operation, called Edward Barnard & Sons Ltd. has a number of predecessors: it was founded by Anthony Nelme around 1680, and, after a succession of master silversmiths, the business was improved by Henry Chawner in 1786, master of the successor of the family that then ran the business (Eduard Barnard I) and who continued the business. He was active between 1786 and 1796, and this master's surname remained linked to the firm until the end of the 18th century in several of his relatives. His works are currently preserved mainly in private English and American collections, but also in prominent institutions such as George Washington's Mount Vernon Museum (Virginia, United States), which has a Henry Chawner inkwell of George Washington, Scoteney Castle in Kent, the Victoria & Albert in London, the Portland Art Museum, etc. Weight: 2110 grams.

· Size: 14x10x23 cms.