Paul Crespin
British (London), 1694–1770

This magnificent soup tureen’s function is almost entirely hidden by its elaborate sculptural ornament. One of the finest examples of English Rococo silver, the tureen may have been owned by Charles Seymour, Duke of Somerset (1662-1748), whose family crest is engraved on the tureen’s liner. The asymmetrical but well-balanced design keeps the eye moving restlessly from one nature-inspired detail to the next—the fur of the goats, the dimpled skin of the lemons, and the intricate flowers and leaves. 

Silver, 1740
Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott, 1964.51