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Nom de l'objet : urn
Artiste ou artisan : No maker's marks
Catégorie de l'objet : Tools & Equipment for Materials
Discipline : History
Matériaux : metal, silver, bone
Technique de fabrication : electroplate over Sheffield Plate
Numéro d'accession : 981 005
Province d'origine : Sheffield
Pays d'origine : England
Date de fin de production : circa 1785-1800
Description : coffee/tea urn of neo-classical design; having a 12-panelled urn-shaped body with alternating panels fluted; engraved designs; high-domed lid with ball finial; loop handles; bone knob on spout; small solid silver inset on front [new shield applied later (RP file)]; raised cylindrical platform on bottom of interior; upon a square pedestal base with splayed bracket feet; no manufacturer's marks
Commentaires : Urns were used to hold hot water for tea or coffee. The central interior cylinder was used to hold a piece of iron, heated in the fire, and used to keep the water in the urn hot.

"Tableware, until the mid-18th century, was largely associated with the upper classes. Through the agency of the Industrial Revolution, it became more widely available. At the same time the great inventors of the day devised yet more sophisticated, efficient and attractive means of dispensing food and drink. The 1760s, for example, saw the introduction of the tea-urn. This everyday piece, generally in the form of a classical vase (and sometimes called a 'kitchen'), quickly superseded the old tea-kettle; by 1770 tea-urns were very popular on both sides of the Atlantic."
Source: Parissien, Steven, "Adam Style". Phaidon Press Limited, London, 1996, p.143-4.

"The Footman's Directory and Butler's Remembrancer" of 1823 instructs the butler, on setting the table for breakfast, to "Always have the water boiling and the iron quite hot for the urn; put the water into the urn before you put the iron in, and let it be nearly full, or the heat of the iron will spoil it. ..When you take up the urn, do not forget the urn-rug, if there be one used; let the urn be put just behind the tea-pot on the table, so near that the person who makes tea can turn it into the pot without getting up to do it."
Source: Onesimus, "The Footman's Directory and Butler's Remembrancer". Pryor Publications, Whitstable, 1998 (originally published by J. Hatchard and Son, London, 1823), p.83.

"Tea and coffee were available at an early date and chocolate was mentioned as early as 1800. The historian William Canniff, writing in 1869, said, 'Tea, now considered an indispensable luxury of every family, was quite beyond the reach of all for a long time because of its scarcity and high price.' The earliest tea in the province was China tea. There was no other till the first Indian tea was sold in London in 1839. As Indian tea for some time cost just as much as China tea and as people were used to the latter it had a small sale at first. Eventually it became the custom to mix the two. ..In the 1840s and 50s all tea was much cheaper and became the usual beverage in middle-class houses."
Source: Minhinnick, Jeanne, "At Home in Upper Canada". Clarke, Irwin & Company Limited, Toronto, 1983, p.47.

The process of Sheffield Plating was discovered by accident by Thomas Boulsover in 1742, and was responsible for the growth of the city of Sheffield in to a great manufacturing centre. The process involves the fusing of silver and copper, which become inseparable when heated to a certain degree. Josiah Hancock, an apprentice to Boulsover, realized the applications of Sheffield Plating, and within a few years of its discovery it became a recognized industry largely due to his efforts. New pieces, as well as reproductions of solid silver pieces were made, and demand increased, encouraged by government taxation which raised the price of wrought silver articles. The wealthy families which purchased the first pieces of Sheffield Plate inscribed their names and crests on them, necessitating that the pieces be plated with an increasing amount of silver in order that they not be ruined by the engraving done on them. Better quality pieces have an inset of pure silver designed for purpose of cresting. As the industry grew and prices for Sheffield Plate decreased, middle class families began purchasing them and the industry grew rapidly. Occasionally, some of the first manufacturers impressed hallmarks on their pieces to deceive buyers into believing they were solid silver. Silver manufacturers protested and the hallmarking of Sheffield Plate was forbidden. In 1773 Sheffield was granted its own assay office and in 1784 smiths were allowed to use a maker's mark or their own. In the 'Probationary' period of 1750-80 many pieces were embossed with designs and ornamentation that concealed imperfections. Pieces from this period are also recognizable by their lack of applied borders and silver rims. From 1780 until 1820 the finest Sheffield Plate was produced in large quantities. In this period the use of German silver was introduced, which was favoured because the white metal would not show through when the silver was worn off, as copper did. German silver was not fully accepted until about 1835. The process of Sheffield Plating ended in 1838 when electroplating, produced by means of electrolysis, was discovered by Elkington.
Source: Wyler, Seymour B., "The Book of Old Silver; English, American, Foreign" . Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1937, p.100-3.
Hauteur : 54.30
Largeur : 25.60
Profondeur : 24.00
Unité de mesure linéaire : cm
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Ville de l'établissement : Toronto
Province de l'établissement : Ontario

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