Argyle with Royal Interest, 1912

This is a fabulous object in it's own right, but also has a major bonus in having a first class provenance.  

Argyle's are clever pots for delivering warm gravy (or sauce) to the table. They are so called because their use was first promoted by the 5th Duke of Argyle. The story goes, that John Campbell, the fifth Duke of Argyll, and his wife Elizabeth Gunning, Baroness Hamilton of Hameldon, disliked the cold gravy that arrived at their table from the kitchens of Inverary Castle. So through several adaptations, where hot water lay next to the gravy in a variety of ingenious methods to maintain its temperature prior to use, the double-skinned Argyle was born. They were very difficult to manufacture and so were expensive to buy - few therefore were made and even less survive.

This argyle (or argyll) has an outer liner that can be filled with boiling hot water via the small spout with hinged cover. This will keep gravy warm for the duration of a meal. The handle is whicker covered to protect the user from the heat.

This silver argyle has an engraved inscription around the base giving it a Royal provenance. It reads "Given to Colin Keppel by the King, Christmas 1913". Admiral Sir Colin Richard Keppel was Equerry-in-Ordinary to King George V in 1913. He had previously been equerry to King Edward VII and later to Kings Edward VIII and George VI. He has a page on Wikipedia. The argyle also bears the engraved crest of the Keppel family.