DESCRIPTION |
Elegant and
scarce Georgian silver wire-work egg frame complete with the six
original parcel gilt pedestal cups and spoons. Even though the first
owner of this piece probably lived in the West country, a piece as
highly fashionable as this at the time would have been commissioned from
one of London's fashionable silver dynasties. There were plenty of
accomplished spoon-makers around locally who could have supplied the
spoons, probably less expensively than a top London firm. These spoons
were made especially for this frame, they fit perfectly and have low
profile drops with a slight ridge running across that matches the
contour of the supporting wire-work of the frame. The spoons fit
comfortably either way round. The reeded loop handle is simply marked
with the London maker's punch only and has a discreet griffin crest
engraved to the top.
Fairbairn associates this crest with the following families: Ackworth, Annand, Benyon, Bold, Chisenal, Chisenhall, Clifford, Colley, Cooke, Cooling, Cross, Culling, Davies, De Morton, Duffin, Finch, Foley, Gamage, Grimshaw, Knolles, Lewis, Lovett, Martyn, Morgan, Morton, Pankhurst, Pleasaunce, Reed, Sandes, Sands, Sandy, Sandys, Stern, Woodhouse, Worster. | ||
| SILVERSMITH |
Frame and
Cups; Crispin Fuller (apprenticed to Hester Bateman and married her
granddaughter, Sarah, daughter of her first daughter Letitia, on the 6th
October 1781, thirteen years before Hester died).
Spoons; The Exeter silversmith Francis Parsons and one of the Goss family of silversmiths (courtesy; T. Kent). | ||
| DATE or HALLMARK |
Frame and Cups: London 1809.
Spoons: Exeter 1805-1819, most likely also 1809. | ||
| ASSAY OFFICE or COUNTRY |
London and Exeter | ||
WEIGHT in GRAMS |
571 | ||
| SIZE in INCHES |
length: 7 1/2 |
width: 5 1/4 |
height: 7 |
| SILVER STANDARD |
.925 sterling silver | ||
| OVERALL CONDITION |
excellent, no repairs or erasures. some of the gilding is thinning slightly over the higher points such as the spoon bowl backs. | ||
| MAJOR FAULTS |
none | ||
MINOR FAULTS |
one cup bowl has a small bump towards the stem. If you wish, our silversmith will remove this, there would be no charge for this service. | ||
|
Price £625 |
SOLD |
Item Number: M1880 |
