Description

A charming little 18th century footed salver with a simple reed border and pedestal foot. Beautiful plain style typical of the period. Good weight. Hand engraved to the centre is the name of the owner “H Clarke” in old fashioned script. The underside is initialled “R over IM”.

Weight 186 gm, 5.9 troy oz.
Height 4.4cm. Diameter 14.7cm.
Unmarked silver.
Maker “TA”.
Probably British circa 1720.

Marks. Stamped on top with the maker’s mark “TA”, unattributed. No silver marks. There is a scratch weight below of 6oz 6dw and we can therefore assume that this little waiter was made in a country using imperial weights and measures. This would be the British Isles and the British colonies which at that time included America and Australia. Minor differences noticed in the spelling of the abbreviations such as “wd” as opposed to the standard “wt” leads us to think that the salver is possibly not English. We attributed the circa 1720 date because the salver has a “firm” edge whereas many examples from the 17th century have a “pressed out” rim.

Literature. Antique silver salvers. From the 17th century until the reign of George I salvers were raised on a pedestal foot. This form is often called a “tazza”. By 1700 some were made with the foot unscrewing. Very occasionally this type will also have 3 or 4 feet so that the salver can be used on a lower level. The traditional form of salver with plain flat surfaces and small feet at the edge, rarely found before the reign of George I, was made in various forms such as round, rectangular, oval and octagonal and are an ideal starting off point for collectors of early silver.