Richard Kirwan Cup & Cover, 1758

This large and heavy Georgian silver cup is expertly engraved with a coat-of-arms above the central girdle of the main body and a corresponding crest depicting a Cornish chough to the cover. There are two scroll capped handles and the dome-shaped cover has a gadroon border and impressive cast foliate finial. Both the main cup and the cover bear identical, matching hallmarks. At 13" high the cup has an imposing presence and is a fabulous piece of late George II period hollowware in excellent condition.

The arms are for the family Kirwan and this cup originally owned by the noted Irish geologist and chemist, Richard Kirwan (1733-1812) following his marriage to Ann Blake in 1757. They lived at Cregg Castle in County Galway and had two daughters Maria Theresa and Elizabeth. Richard Kirwan was both a Fellow of the Royal Society (in London) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was also a Member of the Royal Irish Academy serving as its President from 1799 until his death in 1812. More details of his life can be found on Wikipedia at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Kirwan . We can also provide a professionally written account of the coat-of-arms to the buyer.