The design for a similar centerpiece forms part of an album of drawings for the Royal goldsmiths, Rundell and Bridge, in the Victoria and Albert Museum. These drawings have traditionally been attributed to Edward Hodges Baily, who arrived in London from Bristol in 1807 and worked for the sculptor John Flaxman for seven years before joining Rundell's, initially working for their designer William Theed and succeeding Flaxman as chief modeller in 1826 (see Charles Oman, "A Problem of Artistic Responsibility," Apollo, March, 1966). The design of three Bacchic nymphs holding aloft a basket to hold fruit appears as early as 1808 from the Rundell and Bridge workshop and it is likely that the original model was produced by Thomas Stothard, an artist who is known to have worked for the firm at this time. Stothard's best known design for plate was the Wellington Shield, a commssion carried out not by Rundell's but by their rivals, Ward and Green. For the Royal goldsmiths, however, Stothard carried out numerous commssions, among them designs for wine labels and the flatware handles that are known today as "Bacchanalian" pattern. His boigrapher, Mrs. Bray, remarks: "Commissioned by the house of Messrs. Rundell and Bridge, he made many magnificent designs for chased plate for the sovereign and cheif nobility. In these his study of plants was apparent. The delicate bud, the tender leaf of the stems and clusters, were all employed as he had gleaned them in the field of nature" (The Life of Thomas Stothard, R.A., 1851, p. 34).

Caption: attributed to Edward Hodges Baily, after a model by Thomas Stothard, Design for a centerpiece, pen and wash, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, reproduced courtesy of the Trustees.