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A London delftware armorial pill slab, mid-18th century image 1
A London delftware armorial pill slab, mid-18th century image 2
Hutton Collection
Lot 101

A London delftware armorial pill slab, mid-18th century

19 November 2025, 10:30 GMT
London, Knightsbridge

£3,000 - £5,000

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A London delftware armorial pill slab, mid-18th century

Of octagonal shape, painted in blue with the full coat of arms of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, flanked by unicorn supporters, inscribed with the motto 'OPIFER:QUE:PER:ORBEM:DICOR' and with the arms of the City of London below, pierced for suspension, mounted in a later oak frame, slab 26cm x 23.5cm

Footnotes

Provenance
Hutton Collection

A pill slab of heart shape with very similar decoration in the Fitzwilliam Museum is illustrated by Michael Archer, Delftware (2013), p.325, no.J24, where the author comments on the much more sophisticated painting style than earlier examples with the arms of the City of London. The festoons flanking this badge are characteristic of the mid to later part of the 18th century.

Additional information