YORKSHIRE RACING INTEREST. An important George III Silver Gilt Cup & Cover. Made in London in 1809 by Benjamin & James Smith.

The Cup stands on a circular, stepped, pedestal foot decorated with acanthus spears.  The foot rises to a vase shaped main body with raised acanthus leaves, in sizes, below a horizontal band of stylized Greek Key designs, enclosed in a beaded frame.   The upper section of the main body displays a wide frieze of scrolling foliage enclosing rosettes against a matted ground, all in a beaded frame.  The front of the main body displays a detailed horse riding scene and the reverse with a raised crossed laurel branch cartouche.  The cast side handles are formed as very detailed entwined textured serpents.  The stepped, pull off, cover is decorated with a lobed rim, band of foliate motifs, and terminates in a cast foliate and berry finial, on a removable foliate spear and berry platform.  The Cup and cover is well marked on the cup, cover and detachable finial and is in excellent condition.  The base is engraved  with the contemporary inscription “John Bell Esq’r Richard W. Peirse Esq’r Stewards Northallerton 1809”.

The Northallerton race course seems to have been founded around 1765 (at Otterington) and moved closer to the town in the 1820s.  On 29th August 1767 the Newcastle Chronicle reported the Northallerton Races when "On Thursday the 15th of October will be run for at Northallerton, a purse of FIFTY POUNDS" and mentions two other races for the same sum on the 16th and 17th.  The 1809 races are mentioned in the York Herald of Saturday 14th October 1809.

The Stewards of Northallerton were John Bell and R. W. Peirse.  Little is known about John Bell but R. W. Peirse seems to be Richard William Peirse of Thimbleby Lodge (1782-1845) who married Maria Clarke in 1803  (Peirse was the eldest son of Richard William Peirse (1753-1798).  Captain R. W. Peirse was Deputy Registrar of Northallerton in 1828.  

The Cup is of the finest quality in design and production and was almost certainly designed by one of the leading individuals of the period, to be given as a race prize.  The upper frieze is also seen on Sugar vases by Benjamin and James Smith, which are known to be from a design by the sculptor John Flaxman, the leading designer at Rundell’s, when the firm became Royal Goldsmiths in 1804.  Benjamin & James Smith were important silversmiths working in the circle of Paul Storr. Their most important creation is probably the Jamaica Service in the Royal Collection.

 PROVENANCE:

 Last sold by Partridge Fine Arts, New Bond Street, 24^th January, 1977.

Height: 14 inches, 35 cm.

Length: 10 inches, 25 cm.

Weight: 103 oz.