A rare Charles Gouyn Seal Fob, circa 1750-59
This rare Charles Gouyn (St James’s, Girl-in-a-Swing) seal fob is modelled as a boy seated on a green stump playing a flute. He wears a black hat, a red coat edged with gilding, and yellow breeches. Gold-mounted and set with a carnelian seal, the matrix engraved with a classical head in profile.
Tiny seal fobs such as this, often richly decorated and mounted in gold, were made for wealthy aristocrats to give as gifts and love tokens.
The British Museum has an example of this seal fob decorated in different colours (1887,0307,II.203).
Condition: No cracks or restoration, just a minute patch of glaze loss to his hat, and light wear to the enamel from use.
Dimensions: Height (to top of ring attachment) 3.5 cm
The Chelsea Porcelain Toys: Scent-bottles, Bonbonnieres, Etuis, Seals and Statuettes, made at the Chelsea Factory, 1745-1769 & Derby Chelsea, 1770-1784, G.E. Bryant (The Medici Society, 1925).
Chelsea Porcelain, Elizabeth Adams (The British Museum Press, 2001).