The Northwick Park Strawberry Dish. A very rare & fine early George III Strawberry Dish made in London in 1770 by Thomas Heming.
The Northwick Park Strawberry Dish. A very rare & fine early George III Strawberry Dish made in London in 1770 by Thomas Heming.
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The Dish is of typical form and plain in design, with raised fluted sides and a scalloped rim. The centre is very finely engraved with an Armorial surrounded by a finely executed cartouche of crossed branches, laurel garlands and Classical paterae. The underside displays a full set of marks around a centre point, which is always a sign of quality of production, as the time has been taken to meaure it out. This piece is in excellent condition, hardly having seen any use over the years and retains a fine colour. Strawberry Dishes by Thomas Heming are rare, however a near identical example of 1772 was ordered by King George III and is still contained within the Royal Collection of King Charles III, and is shown on the image stream.
Although termed Strawberry Dishes, these were undoubtedly used for a variety of purposes. Some old inventories refer to dishes of this type as "salad dishes". Thomas Heming was principal Goldsmith to the King in 1760, an appointment which he held until 1782. Some of his earliest surviving pieces in the Royal Collection show a French delicacy of taste, and refinement of execution, which was unquestionably inherited from his Master, Peter Archambo. His masterpiece is most probably the Speaker's Wine Cistern, 1770, at Belton House, Lincolnshire.
The Armorial is that of Rushout impaling Bowles for John Rushout (1738-1800) who married Rebecaa Bowles (1740-1818) in 1766. He inherited the family baronetcy in 1775 and was created 1st Baron Northwick in 1797. He was MP for Worcester from 1761-1796 (as a Whig from 1761-1789 and a Tory from 1789 to 1796). He was elected to the Society of Antiquaries in 1799. Their seat was the beautiful Northwick Park in Gloucestershire. Northwick Park belonged to the Childe family from about 1320 to 1683. The estate was bought by Sir James Rushout, the son of a Flemish merchant who had made a fortune in London in 1783 and who remodelled the old house in 1686, The next remodelling was completed by Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet, in 1728-30, to a design by Lord Burlington, complete with a Palladian east front and entrance hall in the 1730's. The 5th Baronet, later 1st Baron Northwick, whose arms are on the dish employed the architect John Woolfe to carry out further improvements in the 1770's and William Eames to landscape the parkland. This further re-modelling was most probably when the new silver for the house would have been ordered. An image of Northwick Park is shown, as well as a portrait miniature of the Honourable Lady Rebecca Northwick.
Diameter: 8.85 inches, 22.13 cm.
Height: 1.5 inches, 3.75 cm.
Weight: 13oz.
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![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://marycooke.co.uk/british-silver-1760-1830/the-northwick-park-strawberry-dish-a-very-rare-fine-early-george-iii-strawberry-dish-made-in-london-in-1770-by-thomas-heming&media=https://seek-unique-co.s3.amazonaws.com/marycooke-8876-Qfhef-OE67/stock/662288bdf1583_image_url_rt100a.jpg&description=The Dish is of typical form and plain in design, with raised fluted sides and a scalloped rim. The centre is very finely engraved with an Armorial surrounded by a finely executed cartouche of crossed branches, laurel garlands and Classical paterae. The underside displays a full set of marks around a centre point, which is always a sign of quality of production, as the time has been taken to meaure it out. This piece is in excellent condition, hardly having seen any use over the years and retains a fine colour. Strawberry Dishes by Thomas Heming are rare, however a near identical example of 1772 was ordered by King George III and is still contained within the Royal Collection of King Charles III, and is shown on the image stream.Although termed Strawberry Dishes, these were undoubtedly used for a variety of purposes. Some old inventories refer to dishes of this type as "salad dishes". Thomas Heming was principal Goldsmith to the King in 1760, an appointment which he held until 1782. Some of his earliest surviving pieces in the Royal Collection show a French delicacy of taste, and refinement of execution, which was unquestionably inherited from his Master, Peter Archambo. His masterpiece is most probably the Speaker's Wine Cistern, 1770, at Belton House, Lincolnshire.The Armorial is that of Rushout impaling Bowles for John Rushout (1738-1800) who married Rebecaa Bowles (1740-1818) in 1766. He inherited the family baronetcy in 1775 and was created 1st Baron Northwick in 1797. He was MP for Worcester from 1761-1796 (as a Whig from 1761-1789 and a Tory from 1789 to 1796). He was elected to the Society of Antiquaries in 1799. Their seat was the beautiful Northwick Park in Gloucestershire. Northwick Park belonged to the Childe family from about 1320 to 1683. The estate was bought by Sir James Rushout, the son of a Flemish merchant who had made a fortune in London in 1783 and who remodelled the old house in 1686, The next remodelling was completed by Sir John Rushout, 4th Baronet, in 1728-30, to a design by Lord Burlington, complete with a Palladian east front and entrance hall in the 1730's. The 5th Baronet, later 1st Baron Northwick, whose arms are on the dish employed the architect John Woolfe to carry out further improvements in the 1770's and William Eames to landscape the parkland. This further re-modelling was most probably when the new silver for the house would have been ordered. An image of Northwick Park is shown, as well as a portrait miniature of the Honourable Lady Rebecca Northwick.Diameter: 8.85 inches, 22.13 cm.Height: 1.5 inches, 3.75 cm.Weight: 13oz.){kind=link}