Henry William Dee silver gilt mounted scent bottle

Sterling silver gilt and engraved crystal combination perfume bottle, vinaigrette by Henry William Dee in excellent condition.Glass bottle is engraved with swags and bows. The bottom has a thick beveled hinged door enclosing a finely pierced grill covering the vinaigrette chamber. The top cap opens on a hinge with a spring when the push button is pressed to expose the top of the perfume. Lid secures the top of the perfume with a glass disc insert. Length 3 1/2". Fully hallmarked for London 1869. and with renowned English maker Henry William Dee. Also marked inside the lid for the retailer Parkins & Gotto, Oxford St. London.

When Louis Dee died of cholera at the age of 53 in August 1884, the London goldsmiths’ trade lost one of its most active members. The firm was established c.1827 by his father, Thomas William Dee (c.1792-1869) and run in partnership for many years with his brother, Henry William Dee (c.1823-1896). For anyone familiar with Dee’s silver and silver-mounted pieces, the excellent quality of their designs and workmanship will come as no surprise. William Henry Dee pieces have long attracted the attention of collectors of unusual silver novelties of the type they regularly made for Garrard’s, Leuchars & Son and Asprey’s and other Victorian retailers. The patterns for many were registered as copyright and the designs, which survive in the UK National Archives, make a fascinating study. Among them is a drawing for the ‘GIN’ silver bottle ticket illustrated here. On 19 May 1885 Foster’s of Pall Mall auctioned the firms remaining stock, remarking that their reputation as a manufacturing silversmith was second to none.