A Suite of Three George IV Silver Large Pictorial Sideboard Dishes, Edward Farrell, London, 1820

comprising a large dish, the central classical scene chased and partly applied with a spirited cavalry combat below an eagle in flight, the smaller dishes cast and chased with the Victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey at Pharsala and engraved with pricked inscription "Caesar Pompejo Victoriam Tulit" and the Miracle of St. Paul and the Serpent in Malta, the wide speading sides divided into panels deeply chased with large full-blown flowers surrounded by lobate scrollwork and auricular grotesque masks in early Charles II style, each on rim foot, with fitted wood case

Vanessa Brett, The Sotheby's Director of Silver, 1600-1940, 1986, nos. 1240 and 1241, p. 270 (a matching set)

all in good condition, chasing still crisp
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

As the taste for historical plate took hold in the late Regency era, Edward Farrell was one of the most important and creative suppliers, often through the entrepreneurial retailer Kensington Lewis.  His primary client the Duke of York, second son of George III, acquired such pieces, described in his sale of 1827 as "A GRAND DISH for the SIDEBOARD" and "a superb circular dish".  His brother the Duke of Sussex similarly had "A SUPERB CIRCULAR SCALLOPED DISH" and "A PAIR OF VERY ELEGANT DISHES for rose water... tulips and other flowers in the scalloped borders."  After the offered set of 1820, Farrell made another set with identical centers dated 1822-23, sold Sotheby's, London, 20 June 1974, lots 57-59.

In later history, a set of three almost identical dishes were presented by the British Cabinet as a wedding present to Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in 1922.  They were displayed amongst other wedding presents at St. James Palace and were photographed on the front page of the Times on 4 March 1922; the smaller pair from this suite was later in the Al Tajir Collection, illustrated in The Glory of the Goldsmith, pl. 152, p. 199.