Strange Maker's Mark on Irish Silver Sugar Tongs

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scorpio
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Posts: 199
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:41 pm
Location: Ireland

Strange Maker's Mark on Irish Silver Sugar Tongs

Post by scorpio »

I must confess I am somewhat perplexed by the maker's mark on this pair of sugar tongs and am looking for help.

As you can see, it is C-T, i.e. with a pellet between the letters. This is not a known mark of Charles Townsend, who never used a pellet with his CT mark, and far as I know, he didn’t make flatware either. No date letter as is usual with Irish Georgian sugar tongs, but the shape of the Dublin hallmarks indicates a date before 1787.

The only other reference I can find for this C-T mark is an Irish silver sugar bowl in the English, Irish, & Scottish Silver section of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (see photograph). They suggest it’s likely an unknown mark by Charles Townsend simply because they can’t think who else it might be, which really doesn't really help much.

It does seem Carden Terry of Cork, used C-T with his STERLING mark, although I was surprised to discover this reference as it’s not a mark I’m familiar with and it's a slightly different shape (see photograph) and he also registered a C-T over I-W mark, both sets of letters with pellets, with Dublin in 1787. However, did he also use C-T with pellet in conjunction with Dublin hallmarks? Could he have been testing Dublin assaying after the introduction of the 1883 Act in 1784. This would date the tongs to 1784-86, which seems in line with similar Irish sugar tongs I've seen with these small shell bowls. Carden Terry was also a known maker of sugar tongs (unlike Charles Townsend), as well as sugar bowls and the C and T letters look more like his than the ones used by Townsend but that may be wishful thinking on my part! Even if they turn out to be an as yet unknown mark by Charles Townsend, I won't be too disappointed as the tongs are in superb condition and rare if not his usual mark or indeed, class of silver he made.

I've asked the Dublin Assay Office to look into it but that could take a while.

Gordon

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scorpio
contributor
Posts: 199
Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:41 pm
Location: Ireland

Re: Strange Maker's Mark on Irish Silver Sugar Tongs

Post by scorpio »

During a conversation a couple of months ago with an acknowledged Irish silver expert, he opined that the style of the tongs indicated a Dublin maker and not Provincial.

This morning, a gentleman in the Dublin Assay Office advised me that the Antique Plate Committee, which met last month, could not decide which silversmith used this C•T mark. It has not been attributed to the Dublin silversmith, Charles Townsend, so it remains an unidentified maker's mark.

Gordon
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