George III Sterling Silver Tea Set, 1812-1803, Sheffield & York
click the photo to enlarge
George III sterling silver three piece tea set, matched, the teapot hallmarked York, 1812 Rc//Jb (Robert cattle & James Barber), the twin handled sugar bowl and creamer hallmarked Sheffield, 1803 G.A//&Co (George Ashforth & Co), of squat form, with bright cut foliate frieze, above a lobed lower body, raised on a circular foot, total weight 1374gm (including wooden teapot handle) height of teapot 13 cm (3)
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
- Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
- Frieze - An architectural term denoting the flat, shaped or convex horizontal surface of furniture, between the architrave and the cornice, usually found on a cabinet or bookcase, or on desks and tables where it may include drawers, the area between the top and the legs. In ceramics, the term refers to the banding, of usually a repeating pattern, on the rims of plates and vases.
- Sterling Silver - Sterling silver is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver, and is relatively soft and the addition of the very small amount of copper gives the metal enough strength and hardness to be worked into jewellery, decorative and household objects.
- George Iii - George III (1738 - 1820) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820.
- Hallmarks - A mark stamped on articles of precious metals in Britain, since the 14th century, certifying their purity. It derives its name from the Guild Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, who recieved its Charter in 1327 giving it the power to assay (test the purity) and mark articles of gold and silver.
The hallmark will consist of several marks, including the:
- silver standard mark, indicating the purity of the metal. Sterling silver is .925 pure silver.
- the city mark indicating the city in which it was assayed eg London, Birmingham, York etc.
- the date mark, usually a letter of the alphabet in a particular font and case,
- a duty mark, indicating whether duty had been paid to the crown, and only in use from 1784 to 1890
The piece may include an additional mark, the maker's mark, although not forming part of the hallmark, will be located in the vicinity of the hallmarks.
Sometimes silver plated items will bear faux hallmarks, often confusing those not familiar with silver markings.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- Cattle, Robert and Barber, James (England) - silversmiths 7
- tea sets/services