Sterling Silver Four Piece Tea and Coffee Service - Aesthetic Style - Antique Victorian

A fine, impressive and unusual antique Victorian English sterling silver composite four piece tea and coffee service / set in the Aesthetic style; part of our silver teaware collection This exceptional and unusual Victorian sterling silver tea and coffee set consists of a coffee pot, a teapot, a cream jug and a sugar bowl. The pieces of this antique silver four piece tea and coffee service have a circular bulbous shaped form to a circular collet foot, all in the Aesthetic style. The unusual sugar bowl is supported by a pedestal style foot. Each piece is encircled with a bright cut engraved Greek key style fret band above large acanthus leaf designs. The teapot, coffee pot and cream jug feature two contemporary bright cut engraved crests depicting a battlement tower and a stork with the dexter claw resting upon a circular medallion with a lion rampant. The crests surmount the motto 'Esse Quam Videri' - To be, rather than to seem'. The silver coffee pot and teapot are fitted with hallmarked flat hinged covers embellished with bright cut engraved husk decorated border. Both covers are surmounted by an impressive sterling silver finial, realistically modelled in the form of a butterfly. The coffee pot, teapot and cream jug are fitted with plain C shaped handles, each accented with impressive scroll decorated upper terminals in junction with the body. The antique teapot and coffee pot are fitted with plain swan necked spouts accented with bright cut engraved ornamentation to the lip. The coffee pot, sugar bowl and cream jug were made by the Birmingham silversmith William Gough of Gough & Silvester in 1866, whereas the teapot was assayed in London, 1870 and crafted by Samuel Smily at Goldsmiths Alliance Ltd.