Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is an elegant Pair of George IV Sterling Silver Mounted Cut Glass Inkwells. The glass inkwells have deep cut lobed bodies with fan detailing. The silver lids are similarly lobed with reed and leaf decoration, with one having a single pen hole and the other having three pen holes.

The inkwells were made in Birmingham by celebrated silversmiths The Matthew Boulton Plate Company and date to 1829. Matthew Boulton registered his mark at Birmingham’s assay office in 1774, just a few months after the office was established, for which he was principally responsible. He had a long and successful career producing a wide range of fine quality silverware and some of the best Old Sheffield Plate ever made. After his death in 1809 the firm was renamed The Matthew Boulton Plate Company and remained in business until it was finally sold in 1848.

Condition is very good, with no chips or cracks in the glass, no dings or dents in the silver and just the superficial surface wear that you would anticipate after 195 years of good service. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

Each inkwell is 6cm / 2.36ins high and 5.2cm / 2.05ins in diameter. The two lids together weigh in at a very respectable 53.2g / 1.88oz of solid Sterling Silver and all in the pair weigh 346.9g / 12.24oz.

The hallmarks on both the lids and the inner rims are nice and clear to read. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the anchor assay mark for Birmingham, the date letter F for 1829, the George III duty mark (the George IV mark wasn't introduced in Birmingham until later that year) and the M B makers' mark for The Matthew Boulton Plate Company.

Shipping in the UK is £11 by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which includes cover for the value of the inkwells.
Overseas customers, please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.