A GEORGE III SILVER SUGAR BASKET

The crest beneath an earl’s coronet is that of Jervis for Admiral John Jervis, 1st Earl St. Vincent (1735-1823), GCB. Jervis, joined the navy on his fourteenth birthday and was steadly promoted. During the French Wars he commanded the Mediterranean and Channel Fleets and was known as a stern disciplinarian. He was a full Admiral by 1795 and on February 14, 1797 his squadron defeated the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, for which victory he was made an Earl and awarded a pension of £3,000. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on George IV's coronation in 1821. Several examples bearing his arms were sold in the Doris Duke Collection sale, Christie’s, New York, 2004.