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 American Silver before sterling
 Early Gold Spectacles SW?
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| Author | Topic: Early Gold Spectacles SW? |
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labarbedor Posts: 353 |
posted 01-02-2005 09:32 PM
  
I am posting these for a spectacle collector who has had some difficulty finding the mark. The spectacles are probably c.1780, the case, with an eagle, seems slightly later. They are in a Mass. institution. Several SW marks seem possible, but we have not found this exact mark. Any help will be appreciated, remember we have to impress curators, whenever possible.
IP: Logged |
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ahwt Posts: 2334 |
posted 01-12-2005 06:15 PM
SWs listed in Ensko III are: Samuel Warner, Philadelphia c1797 and Baltimore 1810, Samuel Waters Boston c 1803, Simon Wedge, Baltimore c1798, Silas White, NY 1791, Samuel Williamson, Philadelphia, 1794. On page 237, Ensko shows both Waters and Williamson as having a mark with a pellet between the S and the W initials. Neither Ensko nor the photographs are clear enough to really make identification. The cutout tongs marked SW that I put on an earlier thread appear to be S. Walsh of Ireland, but that mark did not have a pellet between the two initials. I am not familiar with spectacle styles and whether or not they can be identified as coming from a particular region. IP: Logged |
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wev Moderator Posts: 4121 |
posted 01-12-2005 06:23 PM
The marks shown in Ensko should be taken with a grain of salt - they are all drawings of marks, not photographs and the accuracy can vary quite widely. IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 01-12-2005 07:11 PM
The use in American marks of a W with the middle serif is uncommon, but not unprecedented. Unless a mark shows both a pellet and a W with three serifs, it should not even be considered. The style of the frame, while less common that the one with sliding temples, occurs both in American and British examples. There is nothing regional in eyeglass styles in America that I am aware of, except that earlier styles obviously would not be expected to occur in places settled at a later date. The eagle seems to indicate that the case is probably post-revolution American, but is there anything to ensure that the glasses are original to the case? IP: Logged |
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labarbedor Posts: 353 |
posted 01-12-2005 08:48 PM
I thought the case might well be later than the specs, my understanding is there is no reason to believe they originally came together. I am reasonably certain the eagle also just meant if was for sale in America, but doesn't mean American origin. I think there were some scale cases made in England with eagles on them for sale in America, and I am certain, somewhat later, that knives with eagles were made in England for the American trade. IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 01-12-2005 10:43 PM
It was not uncommon to export to the US in large numbers inexpensive items boldly marked with patriotic themes,such as this pewter spoon by John Yates of Birmingham (w. ca. 1820-40): A gold case, however, seems of a different character, and more likely to be made one off on special order; an inconspicuous mark such as the one on the case seems more in the nature of a trademark or an individual American maker's personal "identifier". (Note, however, that I wrote "probably . . . American" in my previous reply) IP: Logged |
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labarbedor Posts: 353 |
posted 01-12-2005 11:07 PM
I am sorry I didn't make it clear. The maker's mark is on the spectacles,which are gold. My understanding is the case is brass and the eagle is a form of decorative design. IP: Logged |
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swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 |
posted 01-13-2005 12:42 PM
If the case is brass, then you are probably right - the eagle could well be decorative. IP: Logged |
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akgdc Posts: 289 |
posted 01-17-2005 07:16 PM
Simon Wedge of Baltimore used a middle serif on the W in at least one of his marks (Goldsborough, MD Silver, p. 80) although it wasn't this mark. He also used a very similarly shaped cartouche (cut cornered rectangle, seeming to taper slightly toward the right). And of course the Baltimoreans were especially fond of eagles. IP: Logged |
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