An exceptionally rare Charles I pewter and enamel 'rosewater...

Hammer

£4,500

An exceptionally rare Charles I pewter and enamel 'rosewater bowl', or alms bowl, English or Scottish, but probably London, circa 1640

Having a plain rim and deep booge, centred by a raised circular moulding into which is set a brass boss, enamelled in black, blue, red and white with the Royal Arms of Charles I of England, with the cypher ‘C’ ‘R’ and the Garter, unidentified touchmark to rear of rim, diameter 32cm

Provenance: Former A. J. C .Wall Collection, circa 1935 and thence by decent until sold Christie’s 8 July 1998, Lot 905

Exhibited: Formerly on loan to Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery following Mr Wall’s death in 1955

Literature: See Journal of the pewter Society, Autumn 1982, Vol. 3, No. 4; spring 2008, Vol. 28, pp. 25-28; Spring 2015, p. 18-19.

For three further examples, all from the reign of Charles I, see the Victoria & Albert Museum Collection, London, acc. nos. M. 32-1923; M.31-1945 & M.32-1945. A dish similar to M.32-1945  was exhibited at Clifford’s Inn, London, 1908 and described as a being from a set of six supplied to Charles I whilst at York during the English Civil War. 

The authenticity of some enamelled boss dishes has been questioned. Doubts over originality have principally applied to ’stepped’ booge examples, but concerns have rarely been conclusive. See Journal of the Pewter Society, Autumn 2014, Vol. 40. As to be expected the enamelled bosses were made as independent medallions and soldered on to dishes. It is therefore relatively easy to conjecture whether this was done at the time of the dishes manufacture or at a later date.

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