Royal. A George IV silver 'gothic' pattern coffee pot, Thomas Wimbush, London, 1829

the dodecagonal body, spout and hinged lid embossed and applied with ‘gothic’ tracery and arches, one side engraved with the cypher and coronet of George IV, silver foliate finial and handle in the form of a winged dragon (two ivory fillets), gilt interior

Hallmarks to body rubbed but legible. Originally silver-gilt, predominantly now worn away. The ivory insulators with a few small blackened striations. The handle finely cast. Nice gauge, good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Although silver bearing the mark of Thomas Wimbush (1805/06-1869) is relatively scarce, surviving examples are invariably interesting in design and of good quality. This is especially true of objects produced during the first phase of his life as an independent goldsmith: from the time of entering his first mark on 27 November 1828 to his financial collapse in May/June 1834. After that he managed to re-establish himself, entering new marks in 1840 and 1845, but by then his earlier ambitions to be a leading manufacturer and retailer had evaporated. For an account of his later life and eventual death in Tasmania, see John Culme, ‘Thomas Wimbush. The life & times of a 19th century London silversmith’ in David Morris, Matrix. A Collection of British Seals, Romsey, 2012, pp. 200-209. At his zenith but nevertheless on the brink of disaster, Wimbush advertised himself in the spring of 1834 as a ‘Manufacturing Silversmith by special appointment to the King and late manufacturer to several of the most eminent goldsmiths in London.’ (The Times, 2 April 1834, p. 8a) Whether this ‘special appointment to the King’ was on the strength of this present coffee pot alone or other items as well is now impossible to determine; Wimbush does not appear to figure in George IV’s accounts. The retail goldsmith Thomas Hamlet (1772?-1853), however, does: his bill for a coffee pot costing £12 6s. 6d. is dated 1 January 1827. Although not described, this is clearly not the same coffee pot as Wimbush’s 1829 essay in Gothicism. There might, however, have been a connection through the manufacturing silversmith William Elliott (1762?-1855), who at this time was chief supplier of plate to Hamlet.

The bodies of a tea and coffee set of similar form to this present coffee pot, with apparently identical dragon handles, maker’s mark of William Elliott, London, 1833/34, was sold at Sotheby’s, London, 5 June 1997, lot 50. Each piece was applied with the arms of George, 3rd Earl of Cadogan (1783-1864), who succeeded to the title upon the death of his half-brother in 1833. The coincidence of the date of the Elliott set and the winding-up of Wimbush’s business suggests that there may have been more than a passing connection between these two workshops. As it is, two questions need to be answered: was Elliott a purchaser of any of Wimbush’s ‘Models, Tools, Dies, . . . Drawings’ which were sold at auction (catalogue, British Library shelfmark D-7807.d.1.(9), destroyed by enemy action during World War II) by Foster & Son in 1834?; and was Wimbush supplying Elliott and/or Hamlet?