A RARE AUSTRALIAN SILVER COVERED PRESENTATION CUP BY CHARLES JONES (1819-1864), HOBART, TASMANIA, CIRCA 1850

modelled in the form of an urn, the shallow domed lid with applied cast kangaroo finial with leaf surround and bearing the inscription, 'Presented to /JAMES GRANT ESQ/ TULLOCHGORUM/ By the inhabitants of the Fingal District/ For his energy in accomplishing the Road from Avoca to Falmouth V.D.Land /1849', the trumpet shaped bowl has an applied Coat of Arms, a shield with three crowns, supported by two Tasmanian aboriginal figures standing on a bough engraved 'STAND FAST', the bowl rests in an acanthus leaf cup with punched and engraved decoration, the stem comprises four inverted scrolled acanthus leaves to a shallow domed circular base with punched and engraved foliate border, struck with an anchor, lion passant, sovereign's head (Queen Victoria) and CJ in rectangle struck twice
972GMS, 28.5CM HIGH

PROVENANCE
James Grant
Present owner by descent

LITERATURE
John Hawkins, 19th Century Australian Silver, Vol 2, p221-229, P222, plate 463 makes reference to a silver box by Joseph Forrester and presented to 'James Grant esq of Tullochgorum' in 1835. Forrester and Jones were both assigned at a similar period to work for David Barclay, a Scottish watchmaker and merchant. Marks illustrated p.247 plate 456

Charles Jones was a Birmingham trained silversmith who had been tried and sentenced in Worcester in July 1832 and arrived as a convict in Tasmania in February 1833. He was assigned with other convicts to work for David Barclay until 1839 when he was granted his Certificate of Freedom. Jones quickly established his own business in 16 Elizabeth street, Hobart which included jewellery production.
For similar examples by Charles Jones refer to 'The Champion Cup' and 'The Good Samaritan Cup' in the Colonial Decorative Arts collection of The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart.
James Grant was born in Nairn, Scotland and came to Tasmania with his wife Caroline. He received a huge grant of land in the 1820's from the Colonial Government and he named it Tullochgorum after the Grant estate in County Argyll. In 1852 alluvial gold was discovered on Tullochgorum which led to a goldrush in the area.

We gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance of Peter Hughes in cataloguing this work.