London, England (PRWEB) June 3, 2007 -- Nelson aficionados are promised a treat on the Corfield Morris stand at London's internationally regarded Olympia Summer Fair (7 - 17 June). On Stand D120, Corfield Morris (see http://www.corfieldmorris.com) is showing a most important and rare loan -- Alexander Davison's Derby Nautical Dessert Service, circa 1797-1800.

Following Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile, Davison -- an ambitious and self-made man, and close friend of Nelson -- commissioned a series of presentation pieces of porcelain from the Derby manufactory -- and George Robertson, one of Derby's most renowned marine artists, worked the designs through the service which comprises a navette-shaped pineapple stand, a pair of ice pails and covers with shellmoulded handles, a pair of sauce tureens, covers and stand, a lozenge-shaped footed bowl, four circular dishes, three shell-shaped dishes, a pair of heart-shaped dishes, a pair of lozenge-shaped dishes and no less than 19 dessert plates. It is identified as pattern 222 in the Derby ledger. Davison family tradition is that the Nautical Service was a gift between the two men.

Their relationship is well charted and explored in Martyn Downer's best selling account 'Nelson's Purse' (Bantam Press 2004). Downer discovered the service in 2002, and it was sold as part of Davison's lost collection of Nelson relics and papers which sold for over £2 million at Sotheby's that same October amidst a media frenzy. The Davison Service sold for an aggregate price of £175,304.

A further group of treasures are assumed to have been returned or sold to Davison by Emma Lady Hamilton in her declining years. The book sheds dramatic new light on Nelson's private life, revealing the true circumstances behind the break-up of the admiral's marriage and the nature of his affair with Emma Hamilton.

At the Summer Fair, Corfield Morris provides impartial advice on potential purchases as well as conservation and restoration and helps visitors makes the best selection of the applied art, antique furniture, silver and jewellery at the show. The Corfield Morris team works regularly with private banks, public collections and individual international collectors. The Davison Service is currently owned by a group of private collectors who have kindly loaned the service to allow the public to see it in its fully cleaned and restored state for the duration of the Fair.

For further information or images please contact: Janie Joel, for Corfield Morris (PR only), janiejoel @ aol.com Main Corfield Morris number is +44 7038 3548

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