Stock No. 3513	George III silver butter shell in the Regency style
	Very attractive and decorative sterling silver George III Regency shell-shaped butter dish on three whelk feet and of good gauge. London 1819, by Emes and Barnard. The body of the dish is in the shape of a shell, while the plain grip has a very decorative Regency gadrooned border with a central foliate and shell design. A family crest of a demi boar, facing left and supporting a branch of wild teazel, is engraved centrally on the grip. The dish is supported on the reverse by three whelk feet. The full set of hallmarks is struck very clearly on the reverse of the grip. The maker's mark is slightly mis-struck on a curve but is still legible. Maker :- Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard I

Condition :-Extremely good condition with crisp decoration and good hallmarks. The makers' mark was struck on a curve and is therefore a trifle mis-struck but still legible
Hallmarked :- London 1819
Size :-	5.7 inches (14.5 cm) long 5.2 inches (13.2 cm) wide 1.2 inches (3 cm) high, at extremities
Weight :- 4.26 ozt (132.4 g)
Butter shells were originally called Escallop shells and were an increasingly significant part of the table service from the 1730s to the mid-Victorian period and beyond. They were found in any number from pairs to a dozen. Although these shells were often used for butter, they were also used to contain various other articles such as pickles, etc. In 1740, the Garrard Ledgers record the making of "5 Scollops for Oysters". To-day, the butter shell is still a very versatile container, as well as being an extremely attractive item. Emes and Barnard were prolific producers of consistently high quality silver items which were always of a generous weight. They were one of the largest firms working in their era and had wide connections in the trade. Existing ledgers show that they supplied plate to Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, as well as to Cattle and Barber in York. They also produced large amounts of silver items for the Raj in India..

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