Superb 1778 English Sterling Silver Centerpiece Bowl Thomas Heming Masks Design

Presented is a wonderful English Georgian sterling silver bowl, dated 1778 and made by Thomas Heming. The bowl is beautifully chased with classical scroll and bellflower decoration around the sides, and has an undulating rim decorated with figurehead style masks at the highest points. The bowl stands on a low round pedestal style base, which is likewise hand chased with scroll and foliate decoration. The overall look is almost that of a Monteith bowl, though it does not have ring handles and is on the smaller side for a punch bowl. Very well suited for a fruit or centerpiece bowl. This piece is in excellent overall condition. There may be a compression to the pedestal base, where the innermost part near where the basin joins the base is lower than the upper rim of the base, but if so it goes all the way around and is quite even, so it seems more likely that it is original to the design of the piece. There are no splits, no dents, no monograms, no monogram removals, and no repairs. This piece is hallmarked on the exterior beneath the rim with the lion passant for sterling silver, the leopard's head crowned for the city of London, the date letter C for 1778, and the maker's mark for Thomas Heming (TH below a crown indicating grant of a royal warrant, here shown partially rubbed and upside down). The bowl measures about 8 1/4 inches in diameter and stands about 5 1/2 inches tall at the tallest point. This piece weighs 729 grams or 25.7 regular ounces. -jm