Digby Scott & Benjamin Smith
A Set of Four 'Egyptian' Salt Cellars
Digby Scott & Benjamin Smith
A Set of Four 'Egyptian' Salt Cellars
London, 1804
By Digby Scott & Benjamin Smith
Weight: 2,239.2 g, 72 oz
Diameter: 10.5 cm, 4.1 in
"Egyptian" salts in every particular with lion head masks on monopodic sphynxes paws. The paws with heraldic shields bearing laurel leaves. The three paws in turn resting on circular bases with anthemion decorated feet.
For a similar set of eight salt cellars, see The Gold & Silver at Windsor Castle by Alfred Jones pg. 168 plate LXXXV.
The partnership of Digby Scott and Benjamin Smith produced some of the greatest silver works of the early 19th century. Scott and Smith jointly ran workshops located in Greenwich, England from 1802 to 1807 and during their brief partnership were the principal suppliers of silver masterpieces to the esteemed firm of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. At the time London's most prestigious firm, these jewellers and silversmiths supplied the official plate ordered by the Lord Chamberlain's office, and were the official "Jeweller, Gold and Silversmiths to the Crown" from 1798 to 1843. Working in the cusp of the late Georgian and early Regency periods, the works of Scott and Smith often feature elements of the classical revival style such as grapevines and rams' heads, all crafted in exquisite, sumptuous detail. One of their most renowned collaborative efforts, the Duke of York Baskets, created for Frederick Augustus (1763-1827), second son of George III, is currently on display at the Powerhouse Museum in Australia.
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Digby Scott & Benjamin Smith