A George III commemorative silver 'Battle of the Nile' vinaigrette

A George III commemorative silver 'Battle of the Nile' vinaigrette,

possibly by John Brough, London 1806,

rectangular form, the hinged cover and base engraved with a recumbent lion and oval shield, initialled, within dotted triangular decoration, the sides with Greek key decoration, plain thumb-piece, the hinged cover opens to reveal a silver-gilt pierced and engraved grille with foliate decoration and an Egyptian Sphinx bearing the head of Napoleon Bonaparte, length 3.4cm, approx. weight 0.7oz.

Provenance: A Private Collection of Naval and Military Vinaigrettes.

Although dated 1806, seven years after the Battle of the Nile, the manufacture of this vinaigrette was undoubtedly prompted by Nelson's resounding victory at Trafalgar which proved a crucial turning point in the long fight against Napoleon.

The so-called Battle of the Nile was fought in Aboukir Bay, about 15 miles west of Alexandria, on 1st August 1798. Nelson, having spent most of the summer cruising the Eastern Mediterranean looking for Admiral Brueys' fleet, finally came upon it as it lay at anchor in Aboukir Bay following the disembarkation of the army with which Napoleon was to conquer Egypt. Brueys had chosen a strong position in a well-protected anchorage although Nelson had the advantage of surprise. More significantly, it was already six o'clock in the evening when Nelson sighted the French and, with only two hours of daylight remaining, Brueys was confident that any attack would have to be postponed until the next day, by which time his own fleet would be ready. Nelson, with typical daring, amazed both his own captains as well as the French by ordering his ships into the Bay where they engaged the enemy in a spirited action which lasted almost through the night. The decisive moment came just after 10 o'clock when the French flagship, the huge 120-gun L'Orient, blew up with a tremendous explosion and, when dawn broke, the French annihilation became apparent with nine of their badly damaged ships captured and another four destroyed. It was a glorious victory for Nelson, one of the greatest in British naval history, and the one which brought him to the pinnacle of his career.