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Presented is a superb quality English silver plated and cut glass epergne, made by William Gough and dated 1870. The body of the epergne is incredibly detailed and well cast, each side adorned with a medallion of a demi-nude dancing muse surrounded by classical tongue and dart, gadroon, and acanthus leaf type decoration. The arms are likewise heavily decorated, with rosettes and scrollwork flourishes, and the feet are in the form of three recumbent sphinxes. The epergne stands on a mirror-topped base, which is likewise heavily decorated, with floral and foliate scroll designs for the feet and separately cast and applied acanthus leaf and palmette designs. The epergne has three arms, each holding a beautifully cut and frosted glass dish, with a larger dish supported by the center. The quality of every piece is truly exceptional.

***PLEASE NOTE, THE PIECE WILL BE SHIPPED DISASSEMBLED TO REDUCE SHIPPING COST AND RISK OF DAMAGE***

The three sphinx feet are stamped on the underside with the maker's mark for William Gough as well as an English registry mark, dated 1870. The three sockets of the arms are likewise stamped with the English registry mark and the maker's mark. The arms are match-marked for ease of re-assembly.

This piece is in excellent overall condition. The three smaller glass dishes are in great shape. The large glass insert has a single minor chip to the underside, which is hard to notice without turning the piece over and would not be seen with the dish in use. The silver plating has very little wear. One of the sphinxes is a little elevated at the front/paws area, but this is hard to notice. All the parts of the silverplate body are intact and have no splits, no dents, no breaks, and no repairs. Some minor wear to the glass surface of the mirrored base, where the feet have rested.

The total height is 19 1/2 inches, with the glass and base. The maximum width across the arms is about 15 1/2 inches (with the glass inserts). The top glass insert is about 8 1/2 inches in diameter.

-jm