Here we have a fine quality George III Sterling Silver Cream Jug of classic late 18th century shape. The jug is broadly oval with a c-shaped handle and line decoration around the top rim and down the outside of the handle. The initials J M J are elegantly engraved on the front of the jug.
The cream jug is made in London by Robert & David Hennell and dates to 1796. The Hennell family was a renowned dynasty of London silversmiths that stretched across five generations and 150 years from the 1730s to the 1880s and supplied Lord Nelson, Queen Victoria and the Russian Tsars with silverware and jewellery. The first of the family was David Hennell (I) and he was succeeded by his sons Robert Hennell (I) and David Hennell (II) who were responsible for this cream jug. The firm remained in business as Hennell of Bond Street up until 2001.
Condition is pretty good with a few small dings in the body and a couple of slightly larger dents around the bottom rim but we can expect those after over 225 years of good service. Please make sure to view all the photographs as these form part of the description.
The cream jug measures 11.2cm / 4.4ins from lip to handle, 5.9cm / 2.3ins across and stands 10.1cm / 4ins high. It weighs in at a substantial 97.5g / 3.4oz of solid Sterling Silver.
The hallmarks, below the lip of the jug, are somewhat rubbed but still easy to decipher. They show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the crowned leopard's head assay mark for London, the date letter A for 1796, the George III duty mark and the RH over DH makers' mark for Robert Hennell (I) & David Hennell (II).