Charles II Wall Light with the Arms of the Earls of Lonsdale

Robert Smythier British

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 509

This silver-gilt wall light, supplied to Charles II around 1670, belongs to a royal dinner service given to the court goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge, & Rundell in 1808 to cover the costs of the new court silver produced to furnish Kensington Palace for the ill-fated Caroline, Princess of Wales. Rather than melting down the silver, the Rundells sold the most important pieces to their regular customers. The wall lights were apparently acquired by William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale (1757–1844), whose crest is engraved on the upper section of the piece, including the band of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, which he was awarded in 1807. Recent research has attributed the crowned S mark, which was formerly ascribed to Charles Shelley, to Robert Smythier, whose mark can also be found on other items of court silver dated from 1664 to 1686.

Charles II Wall Light with the Arms of the Earls of Lonsdale, Robert Smythier (British, active 1660–died 1689), Gilded silver, British, London

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Charles II Wall Light with the Arms of the Earls of Lonsdale, Robert Smythier (British, active 1660–died 1689), Gilded silver, British, London
Charles II Wall Light with the Arms of the Earls of Lonsdale, Robert Smythier (British, active 1660–died 1689), Gilded silver, British, London

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