Samuel Courtauld
( 1720 - 1765 )
The Courtaulds were the longest-lived dynasty of Huguenot goldsmiths in eighteenth-century England. Samuel was apprenticed to his father, Augustine, from 1734 to 1741 and was subsequently employed in the workshop as a journeyman. Upon his father's retirement in 1746 he took over the business and entered his first mark. In 1751 the firm moved from Chandos Street, near St. Martin's Lane, to more prestigious quarters at 21 Cornhill, facing the Royal Exchange. Courtauld was elected to the livery of the Goldsmiths' Company in 1763. His known works range from plain domestic plate to elaborately decorated works in the manner of Paul de Lamerie. He was succeeded by his widow, Louisa, who entered into partnership in or before 1772 with George Cowles.