A Monumental Victorian Silver Pilgrim Bottle, by C.T. & G. Fox, London 1858, Retailed by Lambert & Rawlings.
Maker's Mark of C.T & G Fox
London, 1858
Height: 79cm, 31in.
Weight: 11,000gr, (353oz 13dwt)

This is an exceptional object in both the quality and its sheer size. It is the identical pair to another pilgrim bottle sold at Sotheby's on 8th July 2015 in the Treasures Sale - Lot 8.

The arms and motto are those of Sneyd of Keele Hall, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire for Ralph Sneyd (1793-1870), elder son of Walter Sneyd M.P. (1752-1829), sometime High Sheriff of Staffordshire, and his wife, Louisa (d. 1834), daughter of William, 1st Lord Bagot. Ralph Sneyd, a collector of books and works of art, who was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1844, inherited the family estate upon the death of his father. Some 25 years later in 1854 he commissioned the architect Anthony Salvin (1799-1881) to replace the original late 16th Century Keele Hall with a large Tudor style mansion on the same site, a project which was completed in 1860.

It is not surprising that in 1858/59 Ralph Sneyd, his new mansion nearing completion, decided to add this present enormous pilgrim flask to his collection. For their part, Lambert & Co.,7 the firm from whom the flask had been purchased, were proud enough of their silversmith’s workmanship to borrow it for their display in 1862 at the International Exhibition. Featured at the very centre of their cabinet, it was one of the wonders of Class XXXIII, the section of the exhibition devoted to works in precious metals.

The Times correspondent was impressed: ‘Mr. Lambert exhibits what may be termed a very fine collection, in which everything shown is the best of its kind [including] some very large pieces of plate, gigantic flagons and silver bottles.'

Artist Biography:
No record of apprenticeship or freedom. First mark entered as plateworker, signed Charles Fox Jnr., 19 February 1822. Address: 139 Old Street. Second mark, 27 January 1823. Third, 21 August 1823. Fourth, 23 September 1823. Fifth, 10 December 1823. Sixth, 9 May 1838. His work shows consistently high quality.