Antique Pair Sterling Silver Salvers by John Carter 1772 18th C

This is a wonderful pair of English 18th Century antique sterling silver salvers by the  renowned silversmith John Carter.

They each have hallmarks for London 1772, the makers mark of John Carter and are typical of his work with the exquisitely detailed rims, ball and claw feet and the superb engraved decoration.

They each bear a beautifully engraved coat of arms and the crest of the Terry Family, which I have researched:
 

The Arms of the Family of Terry

The arms as engraved upon this Pair of George III English Sterling Silver Footed Salvers by John Carter hallmarked London 1872 are those of the family of Terry. They may be blazoned as follows: 

Arms: Sable on two bars or three cross crosslets two and one (……?) and issuant from the bar in chief a demi-lion rampant

Crest: A boar’s head erased and erect

Motto: E cruce leo [From the cross a lion]

The arms as engraved upon this pair of salvers certainly have characteristics with arms borne by another family and branch thereof named Terry who hailed from the County of Cork in Ireland. Notably the use of the three cross crosslets and the demilion rampant, but in a different placement upon the arms. The crest seen here is also at a variance with the other Terry arms where a demi-lion rampant is used. Upon an exhaustive examination of other sources, together with the present evidence, I believe that the family who had the salvers in their possession undoubtedly bore these arms without authority a fact that often occurred in the 18th and 19th Centuries and at other periods. Many families bore armorial bearings that they assumed and used for many generations in that they either consciously or unconsciously eschewed an approach to The College of Arms in England, the Ulster King of Arms in Ireland, or the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland to legitimatise such arms.  


This superb pair of salvers will look superb in your silver collection.

Condition:

In really excellent condition with clear hallmarks and no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation.

John Carter
John Carter was a London silversmith who specialised almost exclusively in candlesticks and salvers. He entered his first mark in 1776,  but earlier also supplied his products to the celebrated workshop of John Parker and Edward Wakelin.

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.