With London (1795) hallmarks, clear maker's mark for Storr, parcel gilt, urn form with two handles featuring finely detailed acanthus motif, raised on a circular foot decorated with batswing fluting and water leaves supporting a vase form body with lanceolate leaves below and an applied border at neck featuring fluted lunettes and garlands against a stippled ground, the removable cover with scrolling floral motif beneath batswing fluting to neck all capped by a foliate finial. Fully marked to cover and foot.

15.75 in.

64.6 total troy oz.

Estate of the Late Dorothy G. Hale & Co., Chicago, IL and by descent.

This spectacular piece is emblazoned on both sides with the Peters of London family crest. This crest is comprised of "a swan regardant proper, gorged with a ducal coronet sable, resting the dexter foot on a mascle gold" (Fairburn's Book of Crests, 1905 edition reprint).

This impressive work is a wonderful example of Paul Storr's restrained and elegant Neoclassical works produced early in his illustrious career. Similar cups and covers are in the collection of both the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute (full page illustration in the English Irish & Scottish Silver catalogue) and the Yale University Art Gallery. A similar cup and cover from the Collection at Knole and presented to the 3rd Duke of Dorset by William Gardiner is illustrated in PAUL STORR 1771-1844: SILVERSMITH & GOLDSMITH by N. M. Penzer (The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., 1971, pp 88-89). Penzer also asserts the existence of "an almost exactly similar cup & cover" known as the Braye cup.

The shell and swag border and the scrolling foliate design to the cover are identical to those on a teapot on stand in the Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

See Christies Sale 9988, lot 238, for a similar cup and cover selling for $23,500 in 2001.

Cover wobbles slightly on cup; small ding to inner ring of cover; else fine.

$15,000 - 25,000