London, England
This silver vessel, decorated with watery scenes and birds, was probably made as a ewer and had a matching basin. Such sets, like the silver-gilt French example in the same case, were part of the personal equipment needed for the toilette. It was later used as a wine jug. Its maker, Louisa Courtauld, was one of several important women goldsmiths running their own businesses in London. She married Samuel Courtauld in 1749, and took over the workshop when he died in 1765, registering her own mark. She produced refined, high-quality silver, specialising in tea and coffee wares. This ewer is very similar in form to a coffee pot. The Courtaulds were Huguenots, French Protestants who fled religious persecution. They brought new styles and techniques and their arrival in London revolutionised the English trade.
Earliest Rothschild collector: Nathaniel Charles Jacob, 4th Baron Rothschild; b.1936
Credit: Waddesdon (Rothschild Family)