Case 6 2010-11 : A George I silver seal salver by Paul de Lamerie

Expert Adviser’s Statement

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Brief Description of item

The rectangular salver of Sir , Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Chester 1697-1717, engraved with the 1708 Judicial Seal of Queen Anne for the Counties of Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint, made for Sir Joseph Jekyll, Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Chester Silver Paul de Lamerie, London, 1721-2 Four marks beneath base: date letter, Britannia, lion’s head erased, maker’s mark (Grimwade no.1892) Length 32.4 cm. (12¾ in.), width 23.8 cm. (9 3/8 in.), height 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.) Weight 1,225 g. (39 oz.)

2. Context

Sir Joseph Jekyll (1662-1738); Anonymous sale; Christie’s, London, 27 November 1984, lot 356 (£70,200); His Excellency Mohamed Mahdi Al-Tajir, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United Kingdon; Christie’s, London, 10 June 2010, lot 339 (£97,250);

Key literature :

Mark Wrey, ed., Christie’s Review of the Season 1985 (Oxford), 1985, illustrated p.318.

Michael Clayton, Christie’s Pictorial History of English and American Silver (Oxford), 1985, illustrated p.103.

The Glory of the Goldsmith: Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection (London), 1989, p.90, illustrated p.91.

Peter Boughton, ‘Museum Acquisitions: Grosvenor Museum, Chester’, The Silver Society Journal , 2002, pp.143-5

Exhibited

Christie’s, London, 3-22 January 1990, The Glory of the Goldsmith: Magnificent Gold and Silver from the Al-Tajir Collection , no.62. 3. Waverley criteria

The relief fulfils criteria one, two and three, being of outstanding importance for British regional heritage; of aesthetic importance due to the unusual form of the salver and the high quality of the engraved decoration and accompanying inscription and of importance to the study of the British tradition of converting of obsolete matrices into silver plate which dates back to medieval times.

DETAILED CASE

1. Detailed description of item(s) if more than in Executive summary, and any comments.

Description

Britannia silver. The rectangular salver with incurved corners is raised. The sides turn up sharply in a convex quarter-round, and have a moulded rim. The four stepped double-bracket feet, echoing the incurved corners, are cast and applied. The sides are engraved with a border enclosing an oval medallion in the centre of each side and an acanthus leaf at each corner. The medallions to either side contain Classical heads – a helmeted man, presumably Mars, to the left, and a woman, possibly Minerva, to the right. The medallion above contains a trophy of arms, comprising a quiver of arrows with a pelta shield, sword and arrow, while that below contains crossed palm branches tied with a ribbon. The flat surface has an engraved border of brickwork panels interspersed with foliate interlace, with a female mask festooned with husks in the centre of each long side. The centre is engraved with both sides of the 1708 Judicial Seal of Queen Anne for the Counties of Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint, with the shield of arms of Sir Joseph Jekyll below and his crest above contained within scrolled cartouches, and the inscription SEALS OF THE COUNTY PALATINE OF CHESTER. / SIR JOSEPH JEKYLL T KN. CHIEF JUSTICE. The name ‘Paul Lamerie’ (sic) is engraved around the maker’s mark, and ‘Lamerie’ is engraved to its right. There is a double assay scrape beneath the salver.

The Maker

Paul de Lamerie (1688-1751) is widely recognized as England’s greatest eighteenth-century silversmith. His parents settled in the Soho area of London when he was a small child and formed part of the community of Huguenot refugee craftsmen established in London’s West End. He was apprenticed to fellow Huguenot goldsmith Pierre Platel, whose premises were in Pall Mall, close to the Court. Paul de Lamerie’s success lay in his own exceptional creativity in producing some astonishingly spectacular silver and in his ability as a businessman to sub-contract to the best available suppliers.

Number of comparable items already in the UK

There are thirteen documented seal salvers in the UK (please see appendix). This is the only rectangular example and one of only two marked by Paul de Lamerie. The other, made for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir , in 1727-8, is in the V&A. Silver by Paul de Lamerie is on public display at the Ashmolean, Oxford; at the Victoria and Albert Museum where the displays include important silver by de Lamerie collected by Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert, and at National Trust properties including Belton House, Lincolnshire and Ickworth, Suffolk. Spectacular silver commissioned directly from de Lamerie by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths can still be seen at their City Livery Hall in Foster Lane.

2. Detailed explanation of the outstanding significance of the item(s).

The Sir Joseph Jekyll seal salver is one of only two such commemorative items recording the office of Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Chester which was of great significance in the legal and social structure of the county town of Cheshire and of the neighbouring Welsh counties of Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint.

An Act of 1543 decreed that the King’s Great Sessions in should be held twice each year. It also ordered that “there shall be four judicial seals devised by the King’s majesty, whereof one shall remain with the , which is appointed by this Act to be justice of the shires of Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery, to be used within the said shires to seal all judicial processes and bills that shall be sued before the said justice, in the sessions to be holded within the same shires”. The Welsh courts of Great Sessions were abolished in 1830, along with the county palatine of Chester.

The seal salver was commissioned by Sir Joseph Jekyll on his resignation from the office of Chief Justice of the County Palatinate of Chester when he took up the higher office of in London in 1717. The unusual rectangular form of the salver suggests that it was commissioned for display and may have been shown in Sir Joseph Jekyll’s new office as Master of the Rolls as evidence for his high legal standing. He evidently regarded the salver as an heirloom for his descendants and it may subsequently have been displayed in the family home as such.

There is considerable interest in the furnishing of Judges’ Lodgings; those open to the public include the Judges Lodging Victorian Museum in Prestigne and the Judges Lodging in Lancaster. A desk made by local cabinet-makers Gillows was acquired for display for the Lancaster Lodgings in 1992. Significance of figures associated with the item: maker/client/owners

Sir Joseph Jekyll (1663-1738) son of John and Trophen Jekyll of London began his career as a lawyer in the Middle Temple in 1680 and was called to the Bar in 1687. In 1697 he was appointed Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Cheshire, which office carried jurisdiction over the counties of Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint. Despite attempts by the Tories to remove him he was reappointed in 1707, 1711 and 1714 and only resigned on his appointment as Master of the Rolls in 1717. He had been created Sergeant in 1700 and was knighted in that year. Jekyll was Member of Parliament for Eye, Suffolk (1607-1713); for Lymington, Hampshire (1713-1722) and for Reigate (1722-1738). His opposition for the Marlborough Election petition in 1734/5 and his support for the 1735 Gin Act which caused a levy of 20s per gallon on the sale of spirits gained him considerable popular opprobrium. Alexander Pope commented,’ Jekyll, or some old Whit, Who never changed his principle or his wig’ (Epilogue to the Satires , Diaologue 1,38-40).

Significance of subject-matter

Since the 16th century, it has been customary in England for the holder of an office of state, which entitled him to a seal, to retain the silver matrices when the seal became obsolete. This happened when the sovereign died or a change in his title necessitated an alteration in the wording. The seal matrices were then broken or defaced in order to prevent fraud, and the precious metal returned to the holder of the office.

The first secular example of matrices being made into plate appears to be the three covered cups made for Sir Nicholas Bacon in 1574 from Mary I’s Great Seal of England. This practice was followed by Adam Loftus, who had two of Elizabeth I’s Great Seals of Ireland made into covered cups in 1593 and 1604. James I’s Great Seal was made into a covered cup in 1627 for Lord Coventry; Charles II’s Great Seal was made into a cup for Sir Orlando Bri dgeman before 1674; and a later Great Seal of Charles II was made into a cup c.1685. William III’s Great Seal was made into a covered cup for Sir Nathan Wright by Philip Rollos c.1702; Queen Anne’s Privy Seal was made into two cups c.1707; and two of her Great Seals were made into a pair of covered cups for Lord Cowper c.1715, applied with chased medallions depicting both sides of each seal.

Beginning around 1695, salvers superseded cups, probably because their flat surface allowed for an elaborate engraved depiction of both sides of the obsolete seal. Frequently, a considerable amount of metal, over and above that obtained by melting the matrices, must also have been used for such pieces. In the 17th century the salver had been a piece of useful plate, and had served to support a cup or bowl when it was offered to a guest. The splendid engraving on these seal salvers was not, however, intended to be obscured by the base of a vessel – the seal salver was a piece of display plate. Because of the standing of the client and the complexity of the engraving, such pieces are usually the work of only the best goldsmiths and engravers of their day.

Significance of materials/process/usage

The engraving of the seals on the salver include the obverse with the figure of the sovereign Queen Anne on a pacing horse with, to her right the ’s badge of three ostrich feathers and the motto ICH DIEN and around the edge of the image and inscription in Roman lettering . Queen Anne is crowned, robed and bears an orb and sceptre, riding side-saddle on a horse facing left, which has a tasselled breast-band and saddle-cloth. Her seal is inscribed: ANNA.DEI.GRATIA.MAGNAE.BRITANNIAE.FRANCIAE.ET. HIBERNIAE.REGINA.FIDEI.DEFENSOR. The reverse seal on each salver bears a shield with the sovereign’s arms beneath a royal crown, with the badge of the Prince of Wales below. The shield is supported by a crowned lion on the left and a gorged and chained antelope on the right, the supporters which appear on the seals relating to Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint from 1543. Around the edge is an inscription in Roman lettering, unaltered apart from the change of date. Queen Anne’s seal is inscribed: SIGILLUM.IUDICIALE.PRO.COMITATIBUS.DENBIGH.MONTGOMERI.ET. FLINT.1708 (The Judicial Seal for the Counties of Denbigh, Montgomery and Flint, 1708).

The additional inscription above the representation of the seals SEALS OF THE COUNTY PALATINE OF CHESTER. / SIR JOSEPH JEKYLL T KN. CHIEF JUSTICE is a unique feature on recorded seal salvers and explains the salver’s significance to a metropolitan viewer who might not immediately recognize the association with Chester.

Seal salvers are usually distinguished by the quality of their engraving. The most celebrated is the second Walpole salver (no.8), which has been attributed to . It is known that the well documented engraver Simon Gribelin was responsible for those made for Charles Montagu, earl of Halifax, (Appendix nos.1 and 6); Henry Boyle (nos.2 and 3) and the engraving on the John Willes salver (no.5) has been attributed to Charles Gardner.

The engraving on the Jekyll salver, in remarkabl y good condition, is in a style associated with Ellis Gamble, with who m Paul de Lamerie entered into a business partnership from 1723-1728. It is likely that the engraving was subcontracted to Gamble who delegated the task to a member of his workshop which in 1721 still included the young William Hogarth who was completing his apprenticeship in that year. There is considerable interest in engraving on English silver. Charles Oman’s pioneering book on the subject, English Engraved Silver, 1150 to 1900 has been the foundation of subsequent publications devoted to the work of Simon Gribelin and William Hogarth and recent research has identified the presence of other engravers on silver in the London Huguenot community at this time (Alice Bleuzen, Les Familles Harache, Margas et Pantin , Sorbonne, Paris, 2008-9)

Local/regional/national importance

The Chief Justices of the County Palatine

Under the later Norman earls, the justice of Chester was the chief administrative official, presiding over the county court in the earl’s absence. When the earldom was united to the Crown the justice of Chester became directly responsible for the county to the Crown, and after the county of Flint was created in 1284 the justice was responsible for as well as Cheshire. From the mid-14th century the justice’s position as the supreme head of county administration declined, and he became almost exclusively concerned with judicial administration.

From 1543 the justice of Chester held sessions twice a year in Denbighshire and Montgomeryshire as well as in Cheshire and Flintshire. The justices of Chester were usually chosen from lawyers who held no previous connection with the county. They had been assisted by a deputy justice since at least 1307, but in 1576 provision was made for a second justice, and the justice became known as the chief justice of Chester.

The court of Great Sessions at Chester sat briefly twice each year, with spring sessions normally being held in March or April and autumn sessions in September or October. The sessions were attended by elaborate ceremonial, involving the sheriff of Cheshire in much expense. The opening of the court was preceded by a service in Chester Cathedral, and the session itself was an excuse for a social gathering of the leading Cheshire gentry. The chief justice of Chester normally attended the court of Great Sessions in person, and his office was desirable both in its own right and as a rung on the ladder of judicial promotion.

A medieval precedent for the conversion of obsolete matrices into plate is the record of a chalice made by Nigel the Goldsmith c.1284 from the matrices of the seals of Llywelyn and Dafydd, princes of Wales, and Eleanor, princess of Wales, which was bestowed by Edward I upon in Cheshire.

The only known surviving seal matrices from the County Palatine of Chester, the Exchequer Seal of Queen Anne made by John Roos in 1706, survive in the Grosvenor Museum. The seal matrices were not defaced, presumably because they were rendered invalid with the abolition of the palatinate, rather than being replaced with new matrices for a continuing institution .

The Jekyll seal salver is the earliest surviving of the two seal salvers commissioned by Chief Justices of the County Palatine Court of Chester. The second, commissioned by Sir John Willes, who held that office from 1729- 1734, was made by Thomas Parr II, London, 1739-40. The engraving of the central roundel on the Willes seal salver is attributed to Charles Gardner.

Summary of related items in public/private ownership in the UK

1. A circular salver, engraved with the Exchequer Seal of William and Mary, made for Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax; maker’s mark BB perhaps for Benjamin Bathurst, c.1695, engraved by Simon Gribelin; Burrell Collection,

Glasgow.

2. A circular salver, engraved with the Exchequer Seal of William III, made for Henry Boyle; unmarked, c.1702, engraved by Simon Gribelin; Chatsworth,

Derbyshire.

3. A circular salver, engraved with the Exchequer Seal of Queen Anne, made for Henry Boyle; unmarked, c.1707, engraved by Simon Gribelin; Chatsworth,

Derbyshire.

4. A circular salver, engraved with the first Exchequer Seal of George I, made for Sir Robert Walpole; William Lukin, c.1717, engraved by Joseph Sympson; present location unknown.

5. A circular salver, engraved with the judicial seal of Sir John Willes, Chief Justice of the County Palatine of Chester; Thomas Parr II, London, 1739-40 The engraving of the central roundel attributed to Charles Gardner. The Grosvenor Museum, Chester

6. A replica of no.1; by David Willaume I, London, 1726, possibly engraved by Simon Gribelin; The Society of the Inner Temple, London.

7. A Bath border salver, engraved with the Great Seal of George I, made for King; by John White, London, 1728, engraved by Charles

Gardner; Sotheby’s London, 8 June 1995, lot 122.

8. A square salver, engraved with the second Exchequer Seal of George I, made for Sir Robert Walpole; by Paul de Lamerie, London, 1728, the engraving attributed to William Hogarth; Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

9. A Bath border salver, engraved with the Seal of the Court of Common Pleas of George I, made for Sir Robert Eyre, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas; by Edward Vincent, London, 1728, the engraving attributed to Charles Gardner; Sotheby’s New York, 18 October 2001, lot 115.

10. A Bath border salver, engraved with the Seal of George, Prince of Wales, made for Sir Robert Eyre, Chancellor to the Prince of Wales; maker’s mark IL probably for John Liger, London, 1735, the engraving attributed to Charles

Gardner; Sotheby’s New York, 18 October 2001, lot 115.

11. An oval decafoil salver, engraved with the Great Seal of Queen Caroline, made for Arthur Onslow, the Queen’s Chancellor; by Henry Hebert , London,

1738; Corporation of Kingston-upon-Thames.

12. A circular salver, refashioned from a cup made c.1630 for Sir Humphrey May, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which had been made from James I’s Seal of the Duchy of Lancaster; by Isaac Cookson, Newcastle,

1740; Corporation of Lancaster.

13. A waiter commissioned by John Williams (d.1738) formerly Chief Justice of the Counties of Brecon Glamorgan and Radno, of Bridge House, Chester, and Bodelwyddan, Flintshire. This is mentioned in the Will of his grandson Sir John Williams (Clwyd Record Office, D/BD 194) dated 24 March 1829. It was sold at Christie’s in 1920. Its present whereabouts is unknown.

Name of Expert Adviser and Institution : Dr Tessa Murdoch, Victoria and Albert Museum Author of report: Dr Tessa Murdoch, Victoria and Albert Museum Date : August 2010