A George III presentation silver two-handled soup tureen and cover

A George III presentation silver two-handled soup tureen and cover,

over-stamped with maker's mark of Joseph Fearn, London 1809,

rounded rectangular form, part-fluted decoration, leaf capped fluted scroll handles, gadroon borders, the pull-off cover with a barrel finial engraved 'Brewery, Weston Street', the front inscribed 'Presented by the Purchasers of the new Brewery Weston Street to Pearson Walton Esq. as a token of their respect and esteem', on a rounded rectangular foot, length handle to handle 40.5cm, approx. weight 95oz.

The inscription probably refers to the Southwark Public Subscription Brewery, established in Weston Street, Southwark, by Hollingsworth & Co. before 1810. Southwark was then a centre for beer-making, with the nearby Anchor brewery - producing 300,000 barrels a year in 1815 - being proclaimed the largest in the world in the 19th century. In 1810 Hollingsworth & Co. dissolved their partnership, and in 1816 its Weston Street location was purchased, along with 21 licensed houses, by the brewers Combe, Delafield & Co. of Long Acre. This tureen was possibly presented as part of that transaction.