A most unusual silver-mounted small ewer, the mounts probably late 17th century
Of globular form with a central swelling, the slender neck with a pan-top forming the pouring lip, applied with a plain loop handle with a single folded prunt at the terminal, on a heavy spreading trumpet foot, the hinged domed cover engraved with a stiff-leaf border and with a pierced thumb piece, the footring with a pierced and engraved stiff-leaf border and traces of silver gilt underneath, 17.3cm high, unmarked
Footnotes:
The dating of this curious ewer is highly problematic. The mounts, originally silver gilt, are likely to be 17th century but the glass may be later in date, perhaps 18th or 19th century. The form bears an uncanny resemblance to a service designed in 1870 by T G Jackson and produced by James Powell and Sons' Whitefriars glasshouse in London in the late 19th century. An 1880s photograph of this service is reproduced by Andy McConnell, The Decanter (2004), p.408, pl.573. The design is discussed in detail by Judy Rudoe and Howard Coutts, 'The table glass designs of Philip Webb and T G Jackson for James Powell & Sons, Whitefriars glassworks', The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, No.16 (1992) where a page reproduced from a Powell and Sons catalogue illustrates a similarly shaped ewer, see p.41, fig.24, no.2005. The thickness and colour of the metal are not at all consistent with Whitefriars manufacture, so the significance of this ewer within the history of glass design and production is uncertain.