19th C. Victorian Sterling Silver Sugar Caster -Walker & Hall Birmingham 1897

Western Europe, England, Victorian period. An Victorian sterling silver sugar caster, hallmarked for Birmingham, 1897, with the WR&HL pennant maker's mark associated with Walker & Hall. The caster has a baluster body raised on a spreading circular foot, decorated in repousse with ribbon-tied drapery swags above a band of lobed fluting, beneath a domed and pierced cover with engraved scrollwork and a spiral flame finial. Assay marks appear on the exterior of the neck, including the lion passant for sterling purity, the anchor for Birmingham, and the date letter X for 1897, with matching marks on the inner lip of the cover. Walker & Hall was established in Sheffield in 1845 and maintained branches in several cities, and pieces bearing Birmingham marks are recorded. Walker & Hall was founded in Sheffield in 1845 by George Walker, a former apprentice of the electroplating pioneer George Elkington, and grew under Henry Hall into one of Britain's largest silver and plate manufacturers, with retail branches in several major cities. The firm's pennant-shaped mark, enclosing the initials of the partners, functioned as a trademark as much as a sponsor's mark, and pieces registered at assay offices beyond Sheffield, Birmingham among them, are recorded. Item # 202741

Estimate:$500

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