A rare Chelsea or Charles Gouyn Seal Fob, circa 1755
This Chelsea or Charles Gouyn (St James’s) seal fob is modelled as a Huntsman standing on a mound blowing a hunting-horn, with two hounds sitting behind him. He wears a hunting cap, coat, waistcoat, breeches and boots, with a wallet slung at his right sideby a strap. The base is solid underneath.
Tiny fob seals such as this, often richly decorated and mounted in gold, were made for wealthy aristocrats to give as gifts and love tokens.
A decorated example of this identical model with a solid base is illustrated in Bryant, Plate 43, Fig.9, where it is described as Chelsea and in the possession of Herr Otto Blohm. An illustration of a Derby version is also depicted in Bryant, Plate 42, Fig.19. The base is concave on the Derby example, and the type of horn is markedly different.
Condition: Excellent – no damage or restoration. The greenish glaze contains many tiny gas bubbles.
Dimensions: Height 2.5 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).