A PAIR OF GEORGE III SILVER SOUP-TUREENS, COVERS AND LINERS, MARK OF FREDERICK KANDLER, LONDON, 1772

A PAIR OF GEORGE III SILVER SOUP-TUREENS, COVERS AND LINERS
MARK OF FREDERICK KANDLER, LONDON, 1772
Shaped circular, with gadrooned borders, the cover with berried laurel foliage handl, engraved twice coat-of-arms and crest with viscount's coronet above, marked on base, cover anf liner, with scratch weights 107=5 and 105=11, the liners 22=18
11 ½ in. (29 cm.) wide over handles

254 oz. 11 dwt. (7,918 gr.)
The arms are those of Murray quartering Barclay of Balvaid, for David, 7th Viscount Stormont K.T. (1727-1796).

Pre-Lot Text
THE PROPERTY OF THE EARL OF MANSFIELD, SCONE PALACE (LOTS 499-513)
DAVID, 7TH VISCOUNT STORMONT AND 2ND EARL OF MANSFIELD (1727 – 1796)
David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont and 2nd Earl of Mansfield was a Scottish diplomat, politician, and nephew to the illustrious attorney general William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (1705 – 1793) who eventually succeeded. Born in Perthshire during a time of pronounced anti-Scottish sentiment in England, Stormont’s integration within the British political establishment was astonishing; progressing through the ranks of the diplomatic service before becoming Secretary of State for the Northern Department and Lord President of the Privy Council. His family’s strong Jacobite sympathies were overcome by his uncle’s paternal influence and his career bore witness to the partition of Poland and the American War of Independence.
Upon graduating from Oxford in 1748, Stormont succeeded to his father’s title and embarked upon the customary grand tour of Europe, visiting many of the cities that would become his future diplomatic postings. In 1755, through his uncle’s influence, Stormont was engaged as envoy-extraordinary to Saxony-Poland – an unusually prominent position for a novice diplomat. Though largely conscientious, Stormont’s youthful naiveté shone through in this initial posting. In August 1756, following Prussia’s invasion of Saxony, Stormont made the unprecedented decision to mediate – unofficially and without authority – between Frederick the Great and the Saxon ruler Augustus III. This provoked outrage in Westminster and Stormont was duly reprimanded.
Stormont’s impulsive streak carried through into his personal life, as in 1759 he married Henrietta Frederica de Berargaar (1736 – 1766), daughter of one of the Saxon ministers. Ostensibly the match made little strategic sense for the ambitious nobleman, resting instead on feelings of deep mutual affection. In the end, however, Frederica’s Saxon heritage proved more than useful during Stormont’s next posting at Vienna, where the pair were granted privileged access to the private circles of the Habsburg family. Stormont remained as ambassador in Vienna for a decade after 1763, though this was interrupted by Frederica’s untimely death in 1766. Afterwards Stormont suffered something of a mental breakdown and took a leave of absence for two years, travelling around Italy and southern France. Upon his return to Vienna in 1768 he was horrified to find that Austria, Prussia and Russia were engaged in talks for the partition of Poland. Stormont was appalled by the transaction and plotted to avert the plans, colluding in secret with members of the Polish aristocracy. However, it was all for naught.
Leaving Vienna in 1772, Stormont progressed to the ambassadorship of France – the zenith of British diplomacy. This was again secured through the immense influence of his uncle, who at this time was Lord Chief Justice on the King’s Bench, and would that year rule against slavery in the landmark case of Somerset vs. Stewart. While at the French court Stormont remarried Louisa Cathcart (1758 – 1843) in 1776; however their time together in Paris was cut short by France’s intervention in the American War of Independence, an escalation which Stormont had been tasked with delaying. Now acting as Northern Secretary, Stormont brought his considerable diplomatic contacts and expertise to the great office of state, essentially acting as de facto Foreign Secretary until the war neared its end in 1782.
Following the fall of the North ministry, Stormont became a stalwart figure of the opposition benches. In 1793 he rejoined Pitt the Younger as Lord President of the Privy Council, a position which he held until his death on 1st September 1793. He was buried beside his uncle in the north cross of Westminster Abbey and was survived by his son and two daughters.