The Marquess of Londonderry( Lord Castlereagh)An Extremely Rare and Important George III Silver Gallery Tray 1777 London by Jones and Scofield

An extremely rare and important Georgian silver gallery tray made for the Marquess of Londonderry in 1777 by Robert Jones and John Scofield of London.This Tray is important on two levels,eighteenth century gallery trays are of extreme rarity and this is the first time I have seen an oval gallery tray of this date.To add to its rarity it was owned by the Marquess of Londonderry often known as Lord Castlereagh who was Chief Secretary of Ireland,Secretary of State for War and the Colonies,and as British Foreign Secretary he was central to the management of the coalition that defeated Napoleon.He was the principal British diplomat at the Congress of Vienna.The centre of the tray is wonderfully engraved with the coat of arms of King George III (1760-1820)and this is indicative that this would have been part of his ambassadorial silver.Above the Royal Coat of Arms the crest of Stewart( Marquess of Londonderry)within a garter motto is engraved.The underneath to the tray still retains it’s original mahogany insert( the wood is cleverly cut to reveal the hallmark).The tray is also correctly hallmarked with the makers mark and silver standard to the border.An extraordinarily rare and historic piece with great provenance which also happens to be in excellent condition.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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