Circular silver dish with an engraved coat of arms at the centre; William Harrison, London, 1677-78.

Plain circular silver dish with a broad rim and gadrooned and moulded border.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The coat of arms are those of Fitzgerald impaling Ranelagh, for John, eighteenth Earl of Kildare (1661-1707), who succeeded his father at the age of three and was brought up by his grandmother, the Countess Dowager of Clare. About 1682 he married Mary O'Brian, eldest daughter of Henry, Lord Ibrackan, and after her death, in June 1684, Elizabeth Jones (1664-1757) daughter and co-heir of Richard, first Earl of Ranelagh. Although the Earl owned large estates in Ireland and was appointed joint govenor of County Kildare in 1694, he seldom visited that country and lived all his life at Caversham in Oxfordshire. In 1692 his peers resorted to a summons in an attempt to force him to attend the Irish House of Lords. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the Duke of Richmond's vault in the Chapel of Henry VII.

Provenance: John, 18th Earl of Kildare. The Earls Spencer, Althorp, Northamptonshire. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1982.

Historical significance: The dish is one of the earliest of a type that became standard by the end of the seventeenth century. It was possible that it was made as a companion piece to a ewer, but this is by no means certain since by the late seventeenth century the ensemble of a ewer and dish had ceased to be functional and was primarily regarded as an item of display.

The attribution of the maker's mark to William Harrison is based on the research of Gerald Taylor and was made available through the courtesy of the Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London. The engraving clearly postdates the dish and can be tentatively attributed to Blaise Gentot (born in Lyon, 1658).

This dish is engraved with the arms of John Fitzgerald (1661-1707), eighteenth Earl of Kildare, impaling those of his second wife Elizabeth Jones (1664-1757), daughter of the first Earl of Ranelagh, following their marriage in 1684.

Until about 1660 dishes like this, along with a matching ewer, were used for the ceremonial washing of hands at table. By 1677 such dishes were often made simply for display. The Earl of Kildare, who owned these pieces, had vast estates in Ireland. Nevertheless, he rarely visited the country, choosing to spend his life at Caversham in Oxfordshire.

The work of the French engraver, Blaise Gentot, can be identified by the placing of the armorial supporters, in this case a monkey and a griffin, firmly on a mantle. Traditionally, engravers placed such figures on a scroll bearing a motto. That Gentot, arguably the most accomplished engraver of the late seventeenth century, applied his talent to this dish only served to enhance the status of this Irish patron.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.

LOAN:GILBERT.659-2008