London 1820, Georgian Toasted Cheese Dish, Lord Balfour, Sterling Silver ,rebecca Emes

Extremely rare solid silver toasted cheese dish, dating from 1820 and featuring a bain-marie system to keep its contents hot. It was during the last quarter of the eighteenth century that these dishes  appeared on the tables of English lords of the manor. It remained in vogue until the twentieth century. The six small containers inside were used to hold toasted bread which was covered with a slice of cheese which was then heated in the oven or in front of an open fire. Its handle unscrews easily and serves as a stopper for the boiling water reservoir which must keep the cheese hot and creamy. Without the six divisions, these dishes were used to keep other dishes of the famous English breakfast hot. The lid of the vegetable dish is engraved with very elegant alliance coats of arms with their motto "Virtus ad aetera tendit.": Virtue raises to the heavens. This is the motto of the Balfour family of Scotland. The arms are those of Major General Robert Balfour (1772-1837) and his wife Eglantyne Fordyce of Ayton (1781-1852). They were the owners of Balbirnie Castle in Scotland and the grandparents of Earl Balfour who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1902 to 1905 in succession to his uncle Lord Salisbury. Another unusual detail is the master silversmith's mark is that of a female silversmith Rebecca Emes, widow of John Emes. The whole weighs 1350 grams.