Late 18th Century Silver Argyll

A George III Argyll, a little drum-shaped contraption, designed to keep sauces and gravies warm at the table. This example, has an outer water jacket which can be filled via the sparrow beak side spout, with hinged cover. This piece has a very elegant slender, "swan neck" pouring spout and Raffia bound scroll side handle. The slightly domed cover terminates in a stylised pineapple finial and the front of the main body is engraved with a crest, a mermaid with a comb and a looking glass in her hand, (as the song goes)
A secondary important feature was that the spout was placed at the bottom of the container which allowed the gravy to be drawn off from underneath the layer of fat that settled on the top.

Literature: An argyll is a gravy-warmer similar in shape to a covered coffee pot. The gravy is kept warm by various means. It is named after John Campbell (1723-1806), the fifth Duke of Argyll who hated the way that gravy arrived cold to the table from his kitchens at Inverary Castle during the cold Scottish winters. Argyles were produced up until the Victorian period in both silver and Sheffield plate. 

This one was made by Andrew Fogelberg and Stephen Gilbert in1790 

Width  6.5"

Depth 5"

Height 4.75"

D3354