Fine Late Georgian Sterling Silver Hot Water Urn, hallmarked London, 1804-1805, by John Robins, the ovoid body decorated with a calyx of alternating plain and imbricate gadroons, fitted with a pair of realistically detailed twining serpent handles, a domed lid gadrooned en suite and with annular-banded spherical finial, and dolphin-form tap with acanthus shell key, the whole raised on mascaron-crested imbricate flat-column legs terminating in lion's paw feet, above a canted, concave square plinth centering an urn-form burner en suite and raised on four spherical feet, engraved on the front of the body with the arms of Ainslie and on the rear with the arms of Duff quartering Grant impaling another, h. 18", w. 8-1/2", d. 12-1/2", 88.55 t. oz. Provenance: Personal collection of Daniel Tenenbaum, San Francisco, California and Houston, Texas.

Overall Condition: Good. Scattered surface scuffs, scrapes and dings on the body consistent with age; no repair or significant dents noted. The chased details at the twined serpents tails on one side are slightly muddy: probably a corrected compression dent. Very slight wobble to the base as one corner is about 1/8" out of true. The burner has some surface ripples about a quarter way round the shoulder, apparently a dent that has been hammered out. There is a slight compression dent under the finial making it slightly out of vertical. Superb chasing and details throughout. Not tested for water fastness. There is an engraved crest ("out of a ducal crown, a lion's head erased") on the base that is an early 20th-century addition. Hallmarked (on the underside) with: 1) the sterling lion passant; 2) the London crowned leopard's head; 3) the date letter "I" for 1804-1805; 4) the cusped George III bust duty mark; and 5) the "I.R" maker's mark of John Robins. The lid and burner part-marked (on the sleeve and on the underside respectively) with all but the city mark; the burner cap part-marked (on the sleeve) with the sterling and maker's mark only. Marks excellent - clean and crisp - with the exception of the maker's marks on the burner and burner cap, both of which have the first letter worn. A very handsome piece, well-detailed and marked, with no significant condition issues.