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| Hester Bateman Cast Silver Sugar Tongs
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Reference: S11279
Period: George III
Year: Circa 1775
Silversmith: Hester Bateman
Place: London
Price: $ 240.00
Weight: 36 grams
Dimensions: 13.5 cm
Condition: Very good, old repair to one arm where strengthening plate has been soldered on and then pierced to match.
Description: An interesting pair of cast silver sugartongs by Hester Bateman, the most famous 18th century female silversmith, she has also been described as the Queen of British silversmiths. The tongs are bow shaped, with attractive cast silver pierced arms, decorated with foliage, scrolls and flowers, and shell grips. The bow is shaped, and has a cartouche for owners initials, which has not been engraved. The side of the bow has faint remnants of owners initials, P/IM, now very worn. Cast sugartongs followed scissor style sugar nips (also called tea tongs), most date between 1770 and 1780, when they were replaced by standard sugar tongs. Cast sugar tongs were complex to make, the arms were cast separately and then soldered onto the bow (Hodges, Georgian Silver Sugar Tongs, page 11). This particular tongs was made from 5 separate pieces, the bottom thinner portion of the arms were cast separately, all the solder joints are visible. We believe this is how the tongs were originally produced, there is a possibility they were later adapted. The tongs are clearly hallmarked with makers mark HB in script and lion passant, in the usual place, this is how tongs were hallmarked prior to 1784 (when the duty mark was introduced).
Cast tongs by Hester Bateman are rare, none are shown in the book " Georgian Silver Sugar Tongs" by Graham Hodges, who devotes a whole chapter to the Bateman family, and shows a number of standard pairs by Hester (page 55). Three pairs of cast tongs by Hester are depicted in the book "Hester Bateman, Queen of English Silversmiths" by David Shure (plates 33 and 37), these all have a different design to this pair. Overall an interesting and rare pair of cast sugartongs.
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Hester Bateman Cast Silver Sugar Tongs
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Hester Bateman Cast Silver Sugar Tongs, other side
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Hester Bateman cast silver sugar tongs, pierced, shell bowls
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Cast silver sugar tongs repair -
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Hester Bateman silver makers mark
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cast pierced silver tongs
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Hester Bateman Cast Silver Sugar Tongs scale
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