The detachable cover chased with scrolling ivy on textured ground, the raised centre with cast sculptural group of three stallions, two locked in combat, rearing above a fallen companion, the body applied below the rim with leafy handles terminating in Tudor roses and buds, the stem with three cast children seated within arched recesses, on shaped foot chased with panels to match the cover, bead edges and stylised leaf borders.
John Samuel Hunt, who had been an assistant to the celebrated royal silversmith Paul Storr, was a partner in the firm of Hunt & Roskell until his death in 1865. The firm traded between 1843-97, their retail shop at 156 New Bond Street in London’s West End, with a manufactory near Clerkenwell. Hunt & Roskell continued Storr’s position as Royal Silversmiths and Jewellers.