A GEORGE III Silver Cake Basket Mark of Hester Bateman, London, 1785. Swing handled cake/fruit basket with good hallmarks on the rim and period coat of arms engraved to the center. The crest in the center is a marital code of arms engraved exactly when this piece was made. The left side was the husband's arms and the right side is the wife's arms.

These arms are legitimate and was a marriage between two established families. Engraving is original and not added at a later date.

Dimensions:

L=34.5 cm

W=23 cm

Weight=742 g

Hester Bateman, often called the “Queen of Silver,” assumed control of her family’s silversmithing workshop in 1760 after her husband’s death. Through her innovative use of workable sheet silver and her keen managerial skill, she transformed the business into one of London’s most successful workshops, continuing until her retirement in 1790.

Provenance

Bonhams

Silver and Objects of Vertu

10-21 May 2024, 12:00 BST

Online, London, Knightsbridge

Lot; 169. A Geo III silver cake basket by Hester Bateman London c1785

$4500 OBO