1810 ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER MINIATURE VINAIGRETTE THOMAS LAWRENCE BIRMINGHAM

Description

ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER MINIATURE VINAIGRETTE 1810 GEORGE III (GEORGIAN) THOMAS LAWRENCE BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND ACORN & OAK LEAF DECORATION.
This "working" miniature is rare on a couple of accounts, the relative scarcity of vinaigrettes, especially early English Georgian ones, notwithstanding.
It is one of the earliest seen.  It is one of the few by  Birmingham silversmith Thomas Lawrence whose mark was recorded in 1803.  It is just about the earliest vinaigrette seen in many a decade, coming in with an assay mark of 1810.  And ... most unbelievably ... this "working" piece of sterling still has its original sponge which is why I have not polished its innards.
That said, featured is an antique sterling silver miniature vinaigrette from the era of King George III.  It measures 1" l x 5/8" w x 2/8" h.
Its top is engraved with acorn & oak leaf decoration, the bottom with an indeterminate floral motif.  Such decor is customary with these pieces ... only the top gets the fancy work.  There is a tiny ding near the front rim.
On opening the top, one sees the hallmarked vermeil underside of the lid and the pierced grill covering "the guts" of the piece which, in this case, includes the sponge (or whatever absorbent material was being used) which holds the "restorative" or "odor veiling" vinegar in which it was soaked.  The piercing to the grill is much simpler than that which is seen in later examples,
eg
., the swirling scrolls that had appeared by circa 1820.
The hallmarks on the lid include, in order, the head of the sovereign, George III, the maker's mark, TL, and the lion passant denoting it as a piece of British Sterling.  The above-referenced tiny ding can also be seen on the underside of the rim.  It is a tiny mark, but I reference it.
A flick of the finger to the catch at the left side of the grill opens up the next layer.  There is a tiny hallmark on the underside of the grill.  I did not work to identify it.  Once the sponge has been removed, the hallmarks on the bottom of the case can be seen.  They include the anchor denoting Birmingham as the place of manufacture, the maker's mark again, and the letter assay mark indicating the date of manufacture as 1810.
There is nothing to keep the interior from being fully polished.  There is no damage or pitting.  I did not want to compromise the sponge or set up a moist environment which might otherwise harm the piece.
This is a sweet piece - no pun intended given the purpose of vinaigrettes.  It's amazing it did not get lost in the better than 200 years since its crafting.
The pictures included with the listing can be followed in reading the description as they dovetail my movement through the piece.
Domestic shipping to include tracking, insurance, and signature confirmation.
Selling on eBay as early as 1997.
"The Mermaid" is also still a bonded auctioneer and real estate broker who spent the past "many" decades' specializing in books, ephemera, estates, and real estate.  Just shy of two million books sold to date.  Books and paper aside, if it is "Stuff", she has sold it!  She has now returned to eBay.  Health issues have brought us back.  We are even selling our own collections!  And ... we are picky.  If we wouldn't add it to our own collections, we won't sell it.  Hope you find something that you want, need, and, most important of all, will enjoy!  We look forward to transacting with you and making new eBay friends and customers.  Thanking you for your patronage in advance ... !
As to our "standard operating procedures":
Our normal shipping & handling time is three (3) days.  We ship weekdays with the exception of US federal holidays.  We will ship with either free shipping or calculated shipping ... it depends on the given scenario.  Often, calculated shipping will include insurance - again, depending on the item.  Payment is expected at time of purchase or close of auction, whichever is applicable.  This also applies to "best offer accepted" transactions.  Non-paying purchasers or bidders will be blocked from future transactions.  The same goes for winning bidders seeking to have sales cancelled.  That said, prior to the end of any auctions, bids can be cancelled through the HELP section of eBay.  If respective bidders are found to be cancelling bids in an excessive manner, however, they will be blocked from future transactions.  Shill bidding is not tolerated and will be reported.
"The Mermaid" is happy to ship globally.
** (See below.)  For such transactions, "calculated" shipping fees apply and    Insurance will be required if not already included in applicable postal fee.
**Unfortunately, there are a few destinations to which we cannot and will not ship.  That circumstance involves a fluid dynamic the specifics of which may not be clear until point of sale.  If such is the case, we will allow the transaction to be cancelled at our discretion and without any negative reporting made to eBay.
WE ARE GLAD TO BE BACK!