A rare Irish Republican silver cream jug

A rare Irish Republican silver cream jug,

by William Egan and Sons of Cork, July/September 1922, marked WE, Castle, Ship, Castle

baluster form, punch bead and fluted decoration, scroll handle, on three mask capped scroll bracket feet, height 12cm, approx. weight 7.3oz.

Provenance: From an Irish Collection, purchased from Blenheim Antiques, 124 New Bond Street, 7 September 1978 for £650.

During the Civil War in Ireland in 1922, Cork was in the hands of the Republicans from June to September. The firm of Egan and Sons had operated in Cork for over a century and they could not send their silver to Dublin to be assayed as communications between the two cities were cut off.

The Egans's cut two new dies, one a castle, the other a ship. This ship differed from the old Cork ship as it has two masts, not three. When order was restored the Egan's were able to send their silver to Dublin and the punches were destroyed.

There are around fifty-four such pieces of Republican silver known, and by repute this piece once belonged to the manager of Barclay's bank, which was located in St. Patrick Street at this time.

ref Bennet, D., Georgian Irish Silver, Cassell,1972 pages 233-236.

For another example of republican silver selling at auction see: Bonhams, New Bond Street, Fine Silver and Vertu, 25 July 2003, lots 19 and 20, from the Collection of M.S.D Westropp.