Attributed to Wedgwood, a black basalt intaglio fob seal, c....

Estimate

£100 - £150

Attributed to Wedgwood, a black basalt intaglio fob seal, c.1809, modelled as an owl, inscribed ‘For further Particulars Enquire Within, 3.5cm high. Condition - good The legend on this seal, 'For further/Particulars/enquire within', is also found on contemporary intaglio gemstones set into seal fobs. It references employment jargon, but may have been used as a flirtatious greeting on the back of an envelope. However, around 1809, the phrase was also associated with Mary Anne Clarke, the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York, between 1803 and 1806, whose relationship turned into a political scandal when it was discovered that she had taken bribes to promote officers using the Duke's connections as Commander-in-Chief of the army. Clarke published her memoirs in 1809, around the time the political scandal was made public when she testified before the House of Commons. The scandal inspired many satirical cartoons, including one by Rowlandson depicting a notice on Mrs Clarke's house with a placard that includes a similar text.