A saltglaze tankard, dated 1739
31
A saltglaze tankard, dated 1739
Of tall cylindrical form with a strap handle and spreading foot, turned with horizontal bands, applied in relief with six ships, cannons, and two naval officers, titled 'THE BRITISH GLORY: REVIV:D BY ADMIRAL VERNON', the reverse inscribed 'HE TOOK PORTO BELLO WITH SIX SHIPS ONLY, NOV YE 22 1739', 16.7cm high (cracked)
Sold for £1,500 inc. premium

Footnotes

  • In 1739 a British naval force aimed to capture the settlement of Portobello in Panama from its Spanish defenders, during the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession. Admiral Edward "Old Grog" Vernon, had repeatedly boasted that he could capture Portobello with just six ships. The victory was particularly well received in America, where the Spanish had been preying on British shipping. In 1991 shards of a Portobello tankard were unearthed at the Angelica Knoll site in Calvert County, Maryland. A similar example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, ref. 414:942-1885, is illustrated by Bernard Rackham, Catalogue of the Schreiber collection, Vol II., pl.15, no.71. A further example was sold at Christie's on 26 April 2001, lot 43.

Category: Decorative Arts / British Ceramics

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