A Pretty George II Cream Boat by Paul De Lamerie
Of bellied oval shape, raised on 4 cast scroll legs descending to stylized shell feet. The lower part of the body embossed and chased with floral swags between the legs. The upper part waisted and chased with a running band of overlapping scrolls and with a large rocaille matted pendant leaf on each side. The front with an asymmetric cartouche engraved with a crest and with matted shell work above and below. The cast scroll handle applied to the wavy cut rim with a large matted shell. The interior lightly gilded.
Date
Maker
1741
Paul De Lamerie
Weight
Dimensions
5.3 oz (164.8gm)
4.75" (12cm) long
Price
£12,500
The Crest of a horned goat's head emerging from a ducal crown is shared by several families including: Baron Bagot, Delaval, Dyer, Gardiner, Ruthven and others.
Essay
Paul de Lamerie is often heralded as the the greatest silversmith working in England during the 18th century. One only has to see masterpieces like the ewer and basin made specially for the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths or the Newdigate centrepiece and Hogarth salver in the Victoria and Albert Museum, not forgetting the sculptural brilliance of the Lequesne coffee pot, to appreciate why such a plaudit might be suggested.
Lamerie worked in both plain and rococo genres but his output was always marked by quality, either in above average weight for the plainer pieces or the superb execution of the decorative devices used.
This cream boat just has that ideal mixture of rococo ornament and plain surfaces along with superb proportions to make it a very attractive and usable piece of silver.
