This Little Piggy Went to Market!
Martin McIlroy, Head of the Silver Department, marvels in a delightful late
George III silver novelty toothpick holder, which is so rare that he has never seen
an English example before. He is certain that it will bring home the bacon.
A rare late George III Silver Table Top Novelty Toothpick Holder, London, 1819 (FS29/151).
This
late George III silver novelty toothpick holder
is to be included in our two day
Fine Art Auction on the 19th and 20th January 2016.
Produced in London in 1819, this 'Pig on wheels' would have graced the dining table
of a wealthy Georgian gentleman and would have been pushed from person to person
around the table. Stuck in the holes in its back would have been quill or wooden
toothpicks, which were used to dislodge any food stuck between the teeth.
Another view of this delightful and rare piece of Georgian silver.
The stand is hallmarked but lacks the maker's mark and each of the wheels is marked
with the lion passant, whilst the pig bears three marks only the duty mark is clearly
visible, however due to the wrinkled decoration of the pig's skin incising into
the other marks, they are illegible.
In over thirty five years' experience, I have never seen an English example
of this type of toothpick holder. Similar examples were produced in Portugal, normally
of a thinner gauge of silver and usually on a wirework stand without wheels.
The more usual type of toothpick holders were typically small, narrow oval boxes
made from ivory or mother-of pearl containing 9ct gold toothpicks and a mirror panel
to the interior of the lid. One can only assume that passing the toothpicks around
was rather like passing the port, a communal activity.
A close up of the hallmarks dating this piece of silverware to 1819.
One of the wheels from the silver novelty toothpick holder.
Another close up, this time of a wheel, showing the lion passant.
So this rare piece of
antique silverware
not only appeals to the specialist collector but also to pig lovers around the world
and with an estimate of £800-£1,000 this little pig will certainly be bringing home
the bacon.
The underside of this rare piece of English silver.
- Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood
- Georgian Silver
- Antique Silver
Social Bookmarks
Please click the following links to flag this article to other people on the Internet.