John Bridge, London 1825, but what is it?

[byronbay55]

Shaker, Table Vinaigrette / Pot Pourri?

c 3 inch / 7.5cm

2.8oz / 80gram








Best,
Thomas

[byronbay55]

[dognose]

Hi Thomas,

Sorry to put a damper on this, but this is very unlikely to be the work of that marked by the firm of Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. John Bridge entered a set of 'I·B' marks with the LAO on the 13th November 1823 following the retirement of Philip Rundell, but just 12 days later submitted a new set, this time with a crown above the 'I·B' (much more befitting the royal silversmith), and it is thought unlikely the first set ever came into use.

I think the rose that surmounts the lid provides the clue for the purpose of the piece, a table pomander or pot pourri container, filled with flower petals and spices to help mask the evil odours that penetrated all the city dwellings at the time.

Trev.

[byronbay55]

Hi Trev.

Thank you. Yes 1820s was smelly years in London, surely the tabe pomanders came in use.

Interesting. Yes, I found part of that info in my research (didn't know about the 12 days). Still, if not John Bridge, who? The mark is identical with the one registered 1823. I am far from an expert in hallmarks, but I am quite informed in silversmithing, and the quality of this item is superb.

Best,
Thomas

[SteveDWollongong]

Hi Thomas,

If you have a look at Phil's website;

http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Makers/London-IA-ID.html#IB

you will notice that there are quite a number of London makers who registered an I pellet B makers mark and were working at this time. The most prolific appears to be that of Joseph Biggs. I quick search on him will show that he was a quality maker.

I have noted that a highly respected London antique silver dealer has photos of an 1817 cream jug with what appears to be same makers mark as yours. He has attributed the piece to Joseph Biggs.

I would suggest that Joseph Biggs is a strong candidate and would be good starting point to investigate.

Cheers,
Steve

[byronbay55]

Hi Steve!

Great! Thank you! I'll research Joseph Biggs (and the other I.B's), and post my findings in this thread.

Best,
Thomas

[byronbay55]

That went quick. I found a souce boat by Joseph Biggs with an almost identical rose. (embossed on the souce boat, instead of a knob as on the pomander)

I will change the maker to Joseph Biggs.

(admin edit - see Posting Requirements )

Thank you for your help.

//T