A George III silver naval vinaigrette

A George III silver naval vinaigrette,

by Samuel Davis, London 1808,

rectangular form, the hinged cover and base with engraved trellis decoration, engraved sides, the hinged cover with initials, plain thumb-piece, the hinged cover opens to reveal a pierced and embossed silver-gilt grille with an anchor and foliate decoration, length 3.5m, approx. weight 0.6oz.

Provenance: A Private Collection of Naval and Military Vinaigrettes.

Although it was the naval victories, particularly those of their hero Nelson, which primarily caught the public's imagination in the long war with Revolutionary France, it was inevitable that the manufacturers of vinaigrettes also sought to capitalise on the popular appetite for victory as the nation's soldiers gradually became more involved in the struggle.