Shaped oval with ribbon-tied reeded rims, the borders engraved with the script monogram of King George III below the Royal crown, marked on underside
18⁵⁄₈ in. (47.3 cm.) long
123 oz. 16 dwt. (3,850 gr.)

Commissioned in the 1820s by King George III of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover for use at Herrenhausen, the Royal Residence in Hanover.
By descent in the Royal Family of Great Britain and Hanover to King William IV (1765-1837), then to his brother,
Prince Ernst Augustus, 1st Duke of Cumberland, later King of Hanover (1771-1851), then to his son,
King George V of Hanover (1819-1878), until sold by the family in the early 20th century.
The Patiño Collection: Important English and Continental Silver and Silver-Gilt; Christie's, New York, 28 October 1986, lot 245.
Acquired from James Robinson Inc., New York, 7 November 1986.

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Lot Essay

These dishes were part of a massive service commissioned for the most part from Robert-Joseph Auguste in the 1780s by George III, King of England and Hanover, for use at Herrenhausen, the Royal residence at Hanover. The original part of the service was added to during the next forty years mostly from Hanoverian silversmiths such as Bunsen and Nübell.

After the death of William IV in 1837, under the Salic Law, which excluded female succession, the throne of Hanover passed to Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the 5th son of George III. He died in 1851 and was succeed by his son, George Frederick, who was deposed during the Seven Weeks War in 1866. The Prussian troops sacked Herrenhausen but failed to find the Royal plate which had been hidden in a vault covered with lime and debris.

The service was sold by the family during the early 20th century. Significant portions are now at Waddesdon Manor and in the Louvre, and another large portion was sold by Sotheby's at Schloss Marienburg, Hanover, 5-15 October 2005. Three meat dishes identical to the present lot by Nübell from that auction were most recently sold at Christie's, London, 4 June 2013, lot 445.