William Holmes Sterling Silver 1785 Georgian Platter / Tray with Crest & Provenance of JP Morgan Family

William Holmes sterling silver Georgian meat platter or tray from 1785, with a gadrooned rim, adorned with the crest of the Morgan family. It measures 15'' in depth by 11 1/4'' in width by 1 1/8'' in height, weighs 31.1 troy ounces, and bears hallmarks as shown.

Acquired from the estate of John and Caroline Morgan Macomber

John D. Macomber was a prominent corporate executive and board member of leading financial companies and nonprofit organizations. Macomber joined McKinsey & Company after graduating from Harvard Business School, rose to partner, and led the firm’s expansion into Europe while he was based in London, Geneva and Paris in the 1960s. He left McKinsey to helm the Celanese Corporation in New York, a global fiber and chemical company. He oversaw its expansion and dramatically increased share value, partly through stock buybacks — a concept he was one of the first to implement. Celanese was acquired by Hoechst AG of Germany in 1987 making it the world’s largest chemical company at the time. Macomber was then recruited by President George H.W. Bush to head the Export-Import Bank of the United States. 

Caroline Macomber was a descendant of J.P. Morgan and an alumna of Miss Porter’s School and Bryn Mawr College. This is why the Morgan family crest is present on this beautiful platter. 

The work of William Holmes is often found on epergnes and centerpieces, cup & covers and high quality neo-classical designed silver. His work is found in works designed by both Robert Adams a James Wyatt. One thinks of the famous Holkham dinner service made for Thomas William Coke (1754-1842). He took his own son John Gwyn Holmes as an apprentice, who entered his mark at his father's address in 1805, when presumably his father was dead or retired. William Holmes' work has been sold at prestigious auctions, including Christie's, and is present in the collections of prestigious museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Please feel free to ask us any questions, and please see our other listings. NO published price will beat ours. We hand polish all items before shipping them out, but if there is interest for a professional polishing and/or engraving removal, we can take care of that for an additional charge and with delayed shipping.