Description

A charming little antique silver taper stick with a knopped stem and shaped base with shell corners. Cast silver. There is a small griffin crest to one corner.

Weight approx. 156 grams, 5 troy ounces.
Height 12.5cm. Diameter 7.6cm.
London 1751.
Maker William Gould.
Sterling silver.
18^th century.

Marks. The taperstick is marked underneath on 4 corners with a full set of clear and matching English silver hallmarks.

Literature – Tapersticks, averaging about 5 inches high are miniature table candlesticks used to hold a wax taper. They are rarer than candlesticks and very few exist prior to the Queen Anne period. They usually appear in singles and pairs of taper sticks command a premium price.

This lovely taperstick is in very good condition. Excellent patina. Wear to the engraved crest.

Maker: William Gould

William Gould, apprenticed to his brother James Gould in 1724, entered his first mark as largeworker in 1732. Like his brother's, his mark is found virtually on candlesticks alone. His greatest work bears the mark of William Alexander on the great Knesworth chandelier of the Fishmongers' Company, of 1752. Since Alexander's work is otherwise virtually unknown, it seems certain that he acted as sponsor for the piece and that Gould was the actual craftsman responsible for one of the greatest pieces of rococo silver surviving.

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