Hunt & Roskell - London 1843

This pair of frosted glass and silver gilt claret jugs rank amongst the finest made during the reign of Queen Victoria.
The prestigious firm of Hunt and Roskell evolved out of the most famous retail name in the history of English silver, Rundell, Bridge and Rundell.
John Samuel Hunt was the nephew of Paul Storr , the most eminent silversmith employed by Rundell's and had worked with Storr as a chaser.
Storr took him on as a partner in the new firm of Storr and Mortimer which kept the same name until Storr's retirement in 1838.
The name was then changed to Mortimer & Hunt until 1843 when Mortimer retired. The firm then became Hunt and Roskell, the partners being John Samuel Hunt, his son John Hunt and Robert Roskell.
Hunt and Roskell were favourite suppliers to the Imperial Russian Court.
In addition to placing its own orders with the firm, the Russian Imperial family also received gifts from the English Court to mark important events and occasions, many of which had also been purchased from Hunt and Roskell.
A similar pair of frosted glass and silver gilt wine jugs by Hunt and Roskell, dated 1845, is illustrated in "Sotheby's Directory of Silver 1600-1940" by Vanessa Brett, Sotheby's Publications, London, 1986 and a similar pair by John Samuel Hunt, dated 1853 is illustrated in 'Everlasting Treasures' by Koopman Rare Art, published in 2009.