Charles I Silver Sweetmeat Dish, 1631 by William Maddox

This is a superb example of Charles I silver two-handled sweetmeat. The dish has a scalloped circular form with two shell handles. The sides are chased with ribs and scrolls, plus there are ornate beads and pellets around a central shield-shape cartouche. The cartouche is engraved to the reverse with a betrothal triangle "S" over "I.A" (where "I" is the old English form of "J") - the initials suggest a wedding gift at some point with the surname of the happy couple beginning with a "S".

This type of dish rarely survive in good condition and the majority that appear on the market have splits or repairs, however the condition of this sweetmeat dish is superb with just some scratching to the front cartouche as the only minor issue to report. The hallmarks are particularly pleasing and clear, with the maker's mark "W" over "M" for William Maddox (master of Thomas Maundy) who was a specialist maker of this type of vessel and other similar dishes (see Jackson's Pickford edition page 115 top entry).