A large and fine Charles II sterling silver tankard, London 1677 by Arthur Manwaring (free 1643, d.1678)

Of gently tapering cylindrical form with moulded rims, the hollow C scroll handle leading to a flat top lid raised by a double cusp thumbpiece. The lid with a broad rim with protruding front section, all with incised concentric circles. The front engraved with an impaled coat of arms surrounded by foliate mantling, all surmounted by an Earl’s coronet. The underside engraved with a scratch weight 42”2. Fully marked to the right of handle and to the lid in front of thumbpiece, maker's mark to the handle.

Height – 19.4 cm / 7.65 inches

Weight – 1291 grams / 41.51 ozt

The arms are for Manners impaling Noel

For John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and 9th Earl of Rutland (1638 – 1711) who married on the 8 January 1673 Lady Catherine Wriothesley Noel (d. 1733) as his third wife.

He the son of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland (1607-1679), and Frances Montagu (d. 1671), the daughter of Sir Edward Montagu, 1st Baron Montagu of Boughton (c.1562-1644), and his wife Elizabeth Jeffries. He was styled Lord Roos from 1641 until 1679. Catherine was the daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden (1611-1682), and his wife Lady Elizabeth Bertie (1640-1683).

Given the full arms on this tankard these would have been engraved after 1679 unless the coronet was added subsequently upon attainment.

Arthur Manwaring was apprenticed to William Tyler, who also apprenticed Gilbert Sheppard and Francis Walton, but was later turned over to Anthony Ficketts. Manwaring became free 20^th January 1643. He spent much of his working life in financial difficulty, receiving several financial aids from the Company’s charities for poor goldsmiths. He received commissions from the Goldsmiths Company and appears to have produced work for other goldsmiths such as in April 1666 a cup and cover was found by the wardens of the assay office to be below standard that was “of Manwaring’s making but marked by John Gibbs plateworker” (Mitchell, D. (2017) Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London: their lives and their marks. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, p. 228).

A covered porringer and stand of 1655 marked for Manwaring was sold at Christie’s Geneva 14 Nov 1972 ($18,155) (illustrated Mitchel 2017, page 225), this porringer and stand are described by Michael Clayton as “one of the most important pieces made during the Commonwealth period.” (Clayton. M. (1985). Christie’s Pictorial History of English and American Silver. Oxford: Phaidon. p. 52-53).

This tankard and another of 1671 by Mawaring situated in Queen’s College, Oxford are the only two Manwaring tankards recorded by Mitchell.

Literature:

Illustrated: Brett, V. (1986). The Sotheby’s Directory of Silver 1600-1940. London: Philip Wilson. p. 128.

Mentioned: Mitchell, D. (2017) Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London: their lives and their marks. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, p. 228.

Sold:

Sotheby’s London, 20 June 1974, lot 87.

Sotheby’s London, 10 July 2013, lot 98.