A George III Gold and Enamel Scent-Bottle, Almost Certainly Incuse Maker's Mark IH or JH, London, Circa 1770, pear-shaped and with screw cover, overall enamelled in green, blue and white on an engine-turned ground, with blue glass stopper, in fitted shagreen case, the scent-bottle 3.5cm high, gross weight 5dwt (8gr), the case 4.5cm high

There is some question as to the exact origin of objects such as the present scent-bottle. For example a scent-bottle similarly wrought and enamelled to the one offered here was sold from the Joyce Paretti collection by John Nicholson's auctioneers, 14 December 2017, lot 1528 as Louis XVI. The presence of incuse initials underneath the present example, almost certainly a maker's mark, suggest that it at least is of London manufacture, rather than being French.

Arthur Grimwade records a series of incuse maker's marks in London Goldsmiths 1697-1837 Their Marks and Lives, London, 1990, pp.287-332, though sadly images of the marks are not provided, thus making it impossible to compare the marks on the present scent-bottle to known marks. That said he does note that incuse marks, those '... struck directly into the metal in intaglio without a surrounding punch.' were mostly used by watchcase makers or gold workers pre-1773 (op cit., p. 287).

As noted above the incuse marks are not illustrated by Grimwade but there are various marks recorded as both IH and JH. A compelling candidate for the goldsmith whose mark appears on the scent-flask, is John Harvey of 54 Snow Hill who entered his mark as a gold-worker on 22 October 1773 (op cit., p 303). The John Harvey in question is the third smallworker of that name to have entered at mark with the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths', the two others probably his father and grandfather respectively. His father was probably the John Harvey who entered a mark as a smallworker in partnership with Anne Harvey in 1759 with his grandfather entering his first mark, also as a smallworker, in 1738.