English Sterling Silver Cobra Entree Dish 2 1811 132oz Start Price USD 20.00 Current Price USD 4,570.00 Time Left - Bid Count 17 Buy It Now Price USD 6,500.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, August 29, 2008 End Time Monday, September 08, 2008 Location New England See more about 'English Sterling Silver Cobra Entree Dish 2 1811 132oz' Description FINEST PAIR OF ENGLISH GEORGE III STERLING SILVER COVERED ENTREES; CLASSIC OBLONG DESIGN; GADROONED BORDERS; BOLDLY CAST ENTWINED SERPENT FINIAL; PERIOD ARMORIAL, RISING BIRD OF PREY WITH MOTTO "APPETITUS RATIONI PAREAT" OR "LET YOUR DESIRES BE RULED BY REASON; THOMAS & JOSEPH GUEST AND JOSEPH CRADOCK, LONDON 1811; 132 OUNCES We are pleased to offer this important pair of George III sterling silver serpent handled covered entrees. The Indian inspired coiled cobra finials a rarely seen design feature. Eagerly coveted by Georgian silver collectors. From the well regarded partnership of Thomas and Joseph Guest and Joseph Cradock. Date marked 1811. Joseph Guest apprenticed under Edward Edwards in 1792. First mark with father, Thomas in 1805. The next year Cradock joined the firm. Partnership dissolved in 1812. Known for silverwares displaying creative design and superb detail. Perfectly illustrated by this most unique set of entrees. The pair extremely well executed in classic oblong form. A design first seen c1800 and popular for thirty five years. Waldron illustrates a near identical pair of c1820 entrees (page 137). His 1997 price guide suggests a value of 5500-8000 GBP, or $11,000. - $16,000. USD. And this pair lacking the serpent finials. Each base with elegant gadrooned extended border. Well fit, matched domed cover. Continuation of gadrooning to upper "rail" and underneath extended rim. Removal of the finial, turning the cover over provides two now matching open entrees. The previously "hidden" gadroon borders now displayed. Cover topped with original boldly fashioned entwined cobra handle-finial. The serpent with head resting tucked into centre. Long coiled body comprised of hundreds of individually carved scales. As real to the touch. The serpent supported upon "bead" fluted pedestal base. The finial secures to cover thru twist and lock, or bayonet mechanism. The cover with elegant period crest. A rising bird of prey, and banner with Latin "Appetitus Rationi Pareat", or "Let your desires be ruled by reason". The words of the famed Roman poet, statesman and author Cicero (106 B.C. - 43 B.C.). And a motto for the Obama campaign....... Each George III serpent handled entree 11 1/2 inches by 8 inches and 6 inches tall at handle. Extremely thick, heavy guage construction. The pair weighs 132 ounces. The Georgian entree marked "3" is in excellent condition. Rich, lustreous sterling patina throughout. The gadroon borders remain crisp and vibrant. As does the period armorial and boldly cast serpent handle. Fine lines to interior, centre of base from use. Finial stuck, and one corner of the cover mild bump. The second entree numbered "4" to base and cover in very good condition. Similar lines to base interior centre. Few pin head size indents as shown in images. Serpent handle unlocks and secures perfectly. Both entrees with cover and base well struck matching hallmarks. Cobra finial with partial hallmarks. One entree with number "3" cover, base and finial. The second numbered "4". This assures the new owner that the original base is accompanied by its correct, matching cover and finial. Given that entrees were made in sets of two and four and so on, the covers and bases were numbered "1-2" or "1-4". Over the years, so often entrees are found with bases having the wrong, ill fit covers. An extremely rare and fine, pair of George III sterling silver entwined serpent handled covered entrees. From Thomas & Joseph Guest, father and son, and Joseph Cradock. Displaying matching hallmarks and numbers. Denoting matching cover, base and finial. Elegant period armorials. For the discerning collector of the finest English George III silver. Please feel free to inquire directly about this, or any item we've listed. Whether the item is alone or part of a set. We very much welcome your interest. We are collectors first. As such, we are quite easy to work with. We happily combine items when shipping, saving you costs. We ship twice weekly, usually US Postal Priority. Fully insured for domestic packages, and air parcel overseas. We charge a bit more than actual cost for custom size boxes, shipping materials and to pay for professional packing. We make great effort to accurately describe each item listed. Returns are accepted, if either condition, country of origin or dating is significantly incorrect. In such cases we refund your shipping costs as well. Like you, we are only human, and make mistakes. Hopefully, not too many. Remember, the items you see are antiques. Hence, have an expected amount of wear from normal use. As such, returning an item because we failed to mention the tiniest bit of wear, or barely discernible flaw is not acceptable. Nor do we accept returns based on buyer's remorse. Nor change of taste, or because a buyer did not realize how "small" four inches might be once in hand. Please note, Massachusetts residents are subject to sales tax. We have over 4205 feedbacks. And, are quite proud of our 99.9% rating. We received favorable notice in the March 12th, 2006 New York Times. Page 8, Business Section, in a well written article on silver collecting. Copy furnished upon request. From our personal collection, an elegant mid 19th century coin silver basket, from John and Edward Moore, of Tiffany fame. Illustrated in the cover article of May/June 2008 Silver Magazine, page 27. Enjoy....and good fortune in your bidding. On Sep-07-08 at 07:14:02 PDT, seller added the following information:CORRECTION: One finial is NOT stuck, as stated above. It does twist on and off, just very tight fit. Both finials, cover and base were correct numbers, one set # 3 the other set # 4. Indicating these are the original, matching pieces to each "set". Regards, Robert Place a Bid!