A REGENCY SILVER-GILT SIDEBOARD DISH

MARK OF THOMAS GAIRDNER, LONDON, 1817

Details

Circular, the border and a raised band around the center chased with allegorical figures, masks, beasts, scrolls, fruit, flowers and foliage, the center engraved with a coat-of-arms above the motto THANKE GOD FOR ALL, marked on underside
21 1/4 in. (54 cm.) diameter
84 oz. 16 dwt. (2,637 gr.)
Provenance

The Sneyd Heirlooms; Christie's, London, 24 June 1924, lot 92.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, New York, 22 April 1998, lot 211.


Lot Essay

The arms belong to the Sneyd family of Keele Hall, Staffordshire. The Sneyd coat-of-arms is distinguished by its scythe, which serves as a pun on the family name; the term ‘sneyd’ is a variant of an archaic word for the tool’s handle. The fleur-de-lys was added to the family’s coat of arms in the fourteenth century following their role in the victory over the French at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.
The Sneyd family can be traced back to the 13th century in Cheshire as a branch of the powerful Audley family. The Keele estate was originally purchased by William Sneyd in 1544 and it remained in the family for over 400 years. The family's collection was extensive, noted for the considerable quantities of silver commissioned over several generations from leading London silversmiths, including Paul de Lamerie. The present Regency-era dish was sold at Christie's, London in 1924 among a large group of silver, the auction entitled Old English and Foreign Silver and Silver-Gilt Plate being a portion of the Sneyd Heirlooms, Removed from Keele Hall. See J.M. Kolbert, The Sneyds & Keele Hall, Keele, 1967.