Thomas Hope’s Regency Samova.

Bronze and patinated copper samova, English circa 1800.

Small in size yet highly fashionable when made in around 1810 and using several design elements introduced by Thomas Hope, especially the eagle headed handles with drop ring lifts finished with lion’s masks. The whole reservoir with its tube to hold the hot coals is lifted on a bronze griffin, the lid, with a Greek-key pattern vent, has a finial in the form of a sphinx. These design elements were conceived by Hope on his return to England following his Grand Tour, the resulting Regency Classicism characterized by forms and motifs taken from ancient Greece and Rome.

w:10.5 in x h:12.75 in