This exceptional antique Georgian sterling silver coffee pot has a baluster shaped form onto a circular domed spreading foot, all in the George III style.
The upper portion of this George II coffee pot is embellished with impressive chased floral and foliate ornamentation amidst a shaped opposing scroll decorated border.
The ornamentation to this exceptional example of antique teaware incorporates a large shaped cartouche to either side; one side displays the contemporary engraved coat of arms*.
The second cartouche depicts the contemporary engraved crest* of a man's head affronty couped at the neck below the motto 'Loyal au mort' - Loyal to dead
The upper rim of the body is encompassed with a plain applied moulded border.
The coffee pot retains the original domed hinged cover embellished with an exceptional chased figural bearded mask design encircled with leaf ornamentation and surmounted with a leaf decorated thumbpiece.
The coffee pot has an opposing scroll pear wood handle featuring a plain scrolling thumbpiece and fitted to an impressive cast silver scrolling lower terminal and simplified pendant drop ornamentation to the upper socket.
The circular domed spreading foot is encompassed with a band of chased floral, foliate and scroll decoration, reflecting the stylised design of the body.
This antique coffee pot has an impressive cast sterling silver swan necked spout embellished with a large and impressive leaf design to the underside, in addition to an undulating shaped socket encompassed with chased leaf textures in junction with the body.
* Although this piece dates from 1743, the scheme of quarterings engraved thereon date from 1810 or shortly thereafter some seventy years after the coffee pot left the workshop of the at present unidentified London silversmith. The engraving of these arms must date after the marriage of Robert Shafto Adair (born 26th June 1786 died 24th February 1869) and Elizabeth Maria Strode (died 1st September 1853) that took place on the 17th September 1810. Elizabeth was the daughter of the Reverend James Strode. Ordinarily the Strode quartering would have be added to the Adair scheme of quarterings by the children of Robert and Elizabeth after Elizabeth's death in 1853, although it is not confirmed that Elizabeth was indeed her father's heraldic heiress. The engraving is certainly very much earlier stylistically than the death of Elizabeth in 1853 and probably, it was caused to be engraved upon the coffee pot shortly after their marriage. At the present distance in time it may be assumed that this where the anomaly of placing Elizabeth's arms in the scheme of quartering and its misplacement crept in. Sadly, not all families who bore arms were in any way knowledgeable in heraldic practices, very often they did what suited them at the time. Again, it may be imagined that the coffee pot was either in the possession of the Adair or the Strodes at the time of Robert and Elizabeth's marriage or it was given as a wedding present to the couple or, indeed, purchased by the couple themselves. However, it came into their possession and it may very well have been part of a larger suite of silver. Read this items heraldic identification report.
Read a brief history about antique sterling silver coffee pots
