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Lot 129*

A St James's (Charles Gouyn) seal, circa 1755

Amended
29 September 2020, 10:30 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £828.75 inc. premium

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A St James's (Charles Gouyn) seal, circa 1755

Modelled as Harlequin wearing a black mask and brightly coloured suit, standing in a theatrical pose, his right arm raised to his hat, a slapstick under his left, the base inscribed 'TOUJOURS GAY' in red, with a gold suspension loop, the gold mount containing a carnelian intaglio of a female portrait bust, 3cm high including loop

Footnotes

A similar seal from the Lady Charlotte Schreiber Collection is in the Victoria and Albert Museum (accession no. 414:318-1885). See G E Bryant, The Chelsea Porcelain Toys (1925), p.54, pl.6(4) for a Chelsea scent bottle upon which this seal is based. A Harlequin seal with the same motto but standing in a slightly different pose is illustrated by Bryant at pl.62(20).

Saleroom notices

Please note that the image in the catalogue is wrongly captioned 'actual size'. The correct size is 3cm high as stated in the catalogue description.

Additional information

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