This antique Victorian Scottish sterling silver brandy warmer has a circular rounded form.
The surface of the body is embellished with equidistant contemporary bright cut engraved coat of arms and a crest*.
One side of the pan bears the Maitland family crest displaying on a ducal coronet a lion sejant affrontée, holding in the dexter paw a sword in pale, and in the sinister a fleur-de-lis, above the motto 'Consilio et animis' - With prudence and courage.
The anterior surface bears a Ramsay family coat of arms of an eagle displayed, surmounted with the crest of a unicorn's head couped, armed, maned, and tufted, all above the motto 'Ora et labora' - Pray and labour.
The opposing surface of the bowl features the Gibson coat of arms displaying 1st and 4th a lion rampant armed and langued within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the second (royal arms of Scotland); 2nd and 3rd three keys fesswise in pale wards downwards (Gibson), all over the motto 'Coelestes pandite portae' - Open ye heavenly gates.
This exceptional brandy pan is fitted with a baluster shaped turned wood handle with a plain cylindrical sterling silver terminal, in addition to a heart shaped socket in junction with the body.
* It can be determined through the identification of each heraldic marking that this piece was possessed by the Scottish Liberal politician Sir Alexander Charles Ramsay-Gibson-Maitland (3rd Baronet) or his son Sir James Ramsay-Gibson-Maitland (4th Baronet) who gained recognition as the Father of Scientific Aquaculture; or a relative thereof.
View our collection of brandy pans
Maker: James McKay
Date: Circa 1850
