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A Good Victorian 3-piece Novelty Condiment Set
The mustard pot modelled as Mr Punch, typically seated with legs crossed, smoking a pipe held in his left hand and a wine cup in his right hand. The lid hinged at his crowned hat. The pepper formed as Judy sitting on a stack of 3 bound volumes, wearing a bonnet and taking a pinch of snuff from a box held in her left hand. The salt being Toby, their dog, cast in a seated pose on natural terrain wearing a ruff around his neck and a hat on his head.
Date
1880 and 1886
Maker
James Barclay Hennell
Dimensions
Weight
Mustard 4" high (10.1cm) 1886
Pepper 3.5" high (8.9cm) 1886
Salt 3.25" high (8.3cm) 1880
15.9 oz (494.5gm)
Price
£15,000
Provenince
A Private Collection
Essay
The earliest example of a Mr Punch mustard pot was registered by Robert Hennell in 1868. The second half of the 19th century saw an explosion in popularity for novelty silver. For example, makers such as Charles and George Fox produced mustard pots shaped as owls, Edward Brown made a few condiment sets modelled as the Three Wise Monkeys, one of which, dated 1867, sold at Bonham's, July 2nd, 2008, lot 214 for £25,200 (inc. premium).. Peppers were made in a vast array of shapes and forms including animals, birds, Humpty Dumpty, Benjamin Disraeli, golf balls, lighthouses, pillar boxes, champagne bottles, shotgun cartridges, teddy bears, watering cans, chauffeurs, suffragettes and many more. Apart from the Robert and James Barclay Hennell, other distinguished makers of novelty condiments included: The Dee family, Edward Stockwell, Thomas Johnson, Sampson Mordan and Edward Brown.