George III Sterling Silver Acanthus Teaset with Family Crests

• Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
• Engraving - The method of decorating or creating inscriptions on silver and other metal objects by marking the surface with a sharp instrument such as a diamond point or rotating cutting wheel.
• Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
  
  Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.
• Lion's Paw - The decorative lion's paw has been used in furniture, silver, and ceramics for centuries. It is a stylized representation of the paw of a lion, often depicted in a highly realistic or stylized form.
  
  In furniture design, lion's paws were popular in the neoclassical and Empire styles of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were often used as feet on tables, chairs, and other pieces of furniture. The lion's paw was a popular motif for furniture makers because it added a sense of grandeur and regalness to their pieces.
  
  In silverware design, the lion's paw was often used on the feet of tea and coffee pots, as well as on other pieces of silverware such as wine coolers and tureens. The lion's paw was often used in combination with other neoclassical motifs, such as acanthus leaves or grape clusters, to create a sense of grandeur and classical elegance.
  
  In ceramics, lion's paws were commonly used as feet on vases, urns, and other pottery items. The lion's paw was often depicted in relief or as a highly stylized form, and was sometimes used in combination with other decorative elements, such as garlands or swags.
• Rosette - A stylised circular-shaped disk with turned or carved decoration decoration applied to a surface, or carved into the surface, especially used in ceramics, jewellery, furniture, sculpture and textiles. Also known as a boss or a paterae or patera.
• Acanthus - A stylized leaf motif, one of the primary decorative elements of classical Greek and Roman architecture, derived from the genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Mediterranean area. It is a common element in classical Greek and Roman design, and is often seen in Corinthian and Composite order columns and used as a decorative element in English, European and Australian furniture, particularly on the curve of a leg, and as decoration for a corbel.
• Angell Family of Silversmiths - There were a number of members of the Angell family who were silversmiths, commencing with Joseph Angell I (also expressed as Joseph Angell, Senior), and his brothers John Angell and Abraham Angell.
  
  On the retirement of Joseph Angell I in 1948, from what had become the leading London silverware workshop, the business was taken over by his son, Joseph Angell II (also expressed as Joseph Angell, Junior), (1815 - 1891).
  
  Joseph Angell II exhibited at the at the 1851 Great Exhibition, the 1853 New York Exhibition, and the 1862 International Exhibition winning medals at each event.
  
  His career is marked by the rich silver items crafted and decorated with chiseling, reliefs and enamels, including trays, tea and coffee sets, jugs, centrepieces and vases
  
  The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds a number of silver objects by Jospeh Angell II.
• George Iii - George III (1738 - 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• Angell family (England) - silversmiths 67
• Angell, Joseph (London) - silver, maker or retailer 36
• tea sets/services
  • silver, bachelor's three piece 386
  • silver, George IV 70
  • silver, Georgian 141