Antique Pair of George IV 3 Light Old Sheffield Candelabra, 19th Century

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Antique Pair of George IV 3 Light Old Sheffield Candelabra, 19th Century

About the Item

This is a stunning pair of antique English George IV Old Sheffield silver plate, three light, two-branch table candelabra, circa 1830 in date, and in the manner of the renowned silversmith Matthew Boulton. The candelabra feature detachable sconces and have beautiful cast beaded and gadrooned decoration to the braches, columns and bases. The attention to detail is absolutely fantastic and they are certain to attract attention wherever they are placed. Condition: In excellent condition with clear makers marks and no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation. Dimensions in cm: Height 50 x width 43 x depth 15 Dimensions in inches: Height 19.7 x width 16.9 x depth 5.9 Old Sheffield Plate - or ‘fused plate’ as it is sometimes known, was the first commercially viable method of plating metal. The material was accidentally invented by Thomas Boulsover, of Sheffield's Cutlers Company, in 1743. While trying to repair the handle of a customer's decorative knife, he heated it too much and the silver started to melt. When he examined the damaged handle, he noticed that the silver and copper had fused together very strongly. Experiments showed that the two metals behaved as one when he tried to reshape them, even though he could clearly see two different layers. Boulsover set up in business, funded by Strelley Pegge of Beauchief, and carried out further experiments in which he put a thin sheet of silver on a thick ingot of copper and heated the two together to fuse them. When the composite block was hammered or rolled to make it thinner, the two metals were reduced in thickness at similar rates. Using this method, Boulsover was able to make sheets of metal which had a thin layer of silver on the top surface and a thick layer of copper underneath. When this new material was used to make buttons, they looked and behaved like silver buttons but were a fraction of the cost. The technique Boulsover developed was to sandwich an ingot of copper between two plates of silver, tightly bind it with wire, heat it in a furnace and then mill it out in to sheet, from which objects could be made.

Dimensions:
Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)Width: 16.93 in (43 cm)Depth: 5.91 in (15 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
George IV (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Sheffield Plate
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1830-1839
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1830
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 096311stDibs: LU950614911901