Of shaped-oval form with gadrooned rim, engraved below the rim with an impaled coat of arms with motto ‘Non Nobis Solum’, all surmounted by a Baron’s coronet. The reverse engraved “No 18” and with the scratch weight 61 = 10. Fully marked to reverse. The mazarine of cut down shaped oval form, engraved to the centre with an impaled coat of arms in an asymmetrical C scroll cartouche surrounded by rocaille, the field with engraved shell forms, scroll, and lattice work reserves. Scratch weights to the reverse 62 = 6, crossed through, and 40 = 5 underneath. (2) Length - 46 cm / 18.1 inches Mazarine length – 43.2 cm / 17 inches Weight - 3080 grams / 99.02 oztProvenance:Possibly sold Sir Culling Eardley Smith, 3rd Bt (1805-1863) (who assumed the surname Eardley in 1847), Belvedere House, Erith, Kent Sale Sir Digby Neave et al. [section Sir Culling Eardley], London (Christie’s), 6-8 June 1868.Notes:The arms on the meat dish are those of Eardley with an augmentation for a Baronet impaling Wilmot quartering Eardley quartering Marrow of Berkswell quartering another. For Sampson Eardley, 1st Baron Eardley (10th Oct 1744 - 25th Dec 1824), who married on the 6th December 1766, Maria Marrow Wilmot (1743-94), the daughter of Sir John Eardley Wilmot (1709-92), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Known as Sir Sampson Gideon from 1759 until 1789. On 17 July 1789 he legally changed his surname to that of Eardley. The arms on the mazarine are those of Gideon impaling the presumed arms of Erwell, for the Jewish banker Sampson Gideon (1699-1762) who married a member of the church of England, an Elizabeth Erwell according to the National Dictionary of Biography, although she was Jane Erwell (1708-1778) daughter of Charles Erwell esq (1675-?) and his wife Margaret (d. 1744) on the 26th April 1733, recorded in the marriage license of the Fleet notebook as "Ye 26th Sampson Gideon & Jane Irmell Ba: Sp merchant of St Margins Ludgate at the Globe." They were perhaps also called Ermell. Evidently the mazarine has been cut down from the original larger oval form that was a known model and form of decoration from de Lamerie, for one in original state with meat dish of 1744 see Brett, V. (1986). The Sotheby’s Directory of Silver 1600-1940. London: Philip Wilson. P.178, fig. 728. It stands to reason that instead of commissioning a new mazarine Sir Sampson Gideon, as he was in 1766, has his late father’s cut down to fit the more updated model as supplied by Crespell, explain the change in scratch weight, the new shape not following any Lamerie model, and the removal of the marks, which presumably would have been on the edge. The altering of 18th century table silver with changing fashions is well documented, including being performed by Lamerie himself as is the case with tureens and meat dishes belonging to Richard, 1st Baron Edgcumbe (1680-1758), see Christie’s New York, 17 May 2012, lot 72, and Timothy Schroder, The Gilbert Collection of Gold and Silver, 1988, pp. 169-174. The arms on the mazarine present a heraldic conundrum, previously in the collection of the late Anthony Phillips (1945-2024), one time head of silver at Christie’s, his discussion with colleague Arthur Grimwade (1913-2002) detailing on the 23rd June 1977: “I have done some further investigations on your mazarine Arms and allowing for a bit of possible heraldic romance I think that they are definitely the Arms of Sampson Gideon who as you will see from the enclosed DNB article was one of the most important financiers of the day and could well have afforded Mr. Lamerie's work. I could not make anything of the original identifications of the female coat regarding marriage to a Gideon, but having discovered that he married Elizabeth Erwell I looked in Burke's General Armory but could find no coat assigned to that family in our edition here. I then went to The Antiquaries for further investigations and looking up in Papworth I found that one version of the eagles on a bend was said to be 'not Erveley' which aroused my suspicions and I then found by cross reference to the Burke's Armory in the Antiquaries Library that it gave Erveley with the eagles on a bend in one or other tincture, precisely which I forget. I am sure in my own mind that Sampson felt his wife must be armigerous and they picked on the nearest name they could find bearing a coat of arms and pretended it was hers. Anyway that is my opinion and I don't believe the heralds will do any better for you!” Upon further reunification with the meat dish this is connection is further strengthened by the mazarine fitting his son’s meat dish. Sampson Snr was granted the right to bear arms in 1747, and in 1745 was living in Stepney, purchasing Belvedere in 1752. Gideon as Baron’s Eardley Sir Sampson served as Tory Member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire from 1770 to 1780, Midhurst from 1780 to 1784, Coventry from 1784 to 1796, and Wallingford from 1796 to 1802. In 1789 he was created an Irish peer, with the title of Baron Eardley, of Spalding in the County of Lincoln upon the recommendation of Pitt. An Irish peerage carried no seat in the House of Lords and thus did not disqualify him from membership of the British House of Commons. In November 1789 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and he was also Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA). He was the first Provincial Grand Master of Cambridgeshire Freemasons, appointed on the 11th May 1796, until his death. Lord Eardley as the son of Jewish banker Sampson Gideon (1699-1762) he was thus the grandson of Portuguese immigrants. Under his father’s influence he was created a baronet, on 21st May 1759, aged only 13 years. Gideon Snr had lobbied for the same honour for himself from the prime minister, the Duke of Newcastle, but was denied it on account of his Jewish faith, as he remained a practising Jew. Sampson Gideon Jnr and his two sisters, on the contrary, whose mother was Christian, were baptised and brought up in the Church of England. Sampson Gideon Snr was a trusted "adviser of the Government," and a supporter of the Jew Bill of 7th July 1753, which allowed for naturalisation of Jewish people. The Jewish people had shown much support for the government during the Jacobite uprising of the 1740’s and Gideon Snr as their chief financier had strengthened the stock market. The bill was repealed only one year later due to a public outburst of antisemitism and Tory opposition in the House of Commons declaring it an “abandonment of Christianity”. Sampson Gideon Snr, died at his home Belvedere House, near Erith, Kent, in October 1762, aged 63, having a gained a fortune recorded as £350,000. Lord Eardley died at 10 Marina Parade, Brighton, on Christmas Day, 1824, aged 80, his sons predeceased him, and the Barony thus became extinct. His three daughters were his co-heirs. Twelve dinner plates from the Eardley service of the same year and maker were sold Christie's, New York, Important Silver 27th October 2005, Lot 430 ($20,400 incl. premium) A salver also of 1766 marked for Thomas Hannam and John Carter (⌀ 42.5 cm) bearing these arms was sold Bearnes, Littlewood, and Hampton, 21 July 2020, lot 120. Sir Sampson Gideon was painted in Rome 1766/67 by Pompeo Batoni, collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (1325-5). Lady Maria Eardley was painted c. 1766 by Thomas Gainsborough in the collection of the National Museum, Stockholm (NM 5893), and another by Reynolds: Christie’s London 9 Dec 2016, Lot 163.