Australian Colonial Etched Glass Claret Jug with Silver Mounts

William Edwards (b London 1819 - ?), an Australian Colonial sterling silver mounted etched glass presentation claret jug, circa 1875, the baluster body finely etched with a continuous scene of two coursing hounds and a handler in pursuit of a hare, the silver collar relief decorated with a similar scene, flanked by a bold loop handle modelled as an entwined branch surmounted by a hound', the hinged cover with a fern leaf and recumbent hare, with a shield form plaque engraved 'Mount Aitken private Coursing Meeting, the gift of G. Whittingham Esq., won by D. G. Clark's dog Telegraph, 31st August, 1875.', 30 cm high. Provenance: George Whittingham sponsored a large number of Coursing events. The meeting, D.G. Clarke and his dog Telegraph, are all mentioned in the Argus on September 6, 1875. Other Notes: the Son of a London silversmith and a manufacturing silversmith, Edwards came to Australia in 1857. Until 1872 he ran a business in Melbourne which supplied silverware to major retailers with some objects imported from the family business in London. From around 1873 to 1892, Edwards worked in partnership with Alexander Kaul. William Edwards' workshop excelled in the production of silver-mounted emu egg trophies and is credited with making the earliest surviving piece. The firm produced a number of silver claret jugs during the 1860s and 1870s which were made in many variations including richly repoussed pieces and even emu and ostrich egg variations.