Burnell and Rowe

Description

Here we have an exquisite and unusual cased late Victorian Sterling Silver Teatime Set. The set consists of a cream jug, sugar bowl, six teaspoons and sugar tongs. The cream jug and sugar bowl are circular with wavy top rims and stand on three hoof feet. The teaspoons and sugar tongs are in the Hanoverian with Point pattern. All the pieces are elegantly engraved with the letter B.

The set was made in London by renowned silversmiths Wakely & Wheeler and dates to 1900, the last full year of Queen Victoria's long reign. The fitted case has the retail stamp for the Bristol Goldsmiths' Alliance of College Green, Bristol. Wakely & Wheeler dated back to silversmith John Lias in 1791. He was joined by his two sons Henry & Charles and later Henry's son Henry Jnr joined the partnership. In 1878 James Wakely joined Henry Lias Jnr and after Henry's retirement he was replaced by Frank Wheeler to form Wakely & Wheeler. They remained in business up until 1957.

Condition is very good, with just a couple of truly tiny dings in the sugar bowl plus the overall superficial surface wear that you would expect after over 120 years of good service. The outside of the box has some scuff marks but the blue velvet and satin interior is in good condition and the hinges and clasp are in working order. Please make sure to view all the photographs.

The cream jug is 9.7cm / 3.8ins from lip to handle, 6cm / 2.3ins across the top rim and stands 7.8cm / 3.1ins high. The sugar bowl is 9.7cm / 3.8ins in diameter and stands 5.5cm / 2.1cm high. The teaspoons are 10.4cm / 4.1ins long and the tongs are 8.5cm / 3.3ins long. All together the set, uncased, weighs in at a very substantial 241.8g / 8.5oz of solid Sterling Silver.

The hallmarks, which are matching across all the pieces, show the lion passant for Sterling Silver, the leopard's head assay mark for London, the date letter e for 1900 and the J.W over F.C.W for James Wakely and Frank C. Wheeler of Wakely & Wheeler.

Shipping in the UK is £16 by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which includes cover for the value of the set and reflects the weight of the item.
Overseas customers, please ask us about shipping costs to your country before making a purchase.