Lawrences Auctioneers of Crewkherne in Somerset- Sir Walter Elliots local auctioneers,as he hails from the nearby Kellynch Hall -are to hold a sale of Silver and Objects of Virtu next week: the on-line catalogue is chock-a-block with precisely the type of luxurious gadgets Sir Walter and other Austen characters would have adored…such as….
A George III silver Marrow Scoop ( Would that be appropriate for the gourmand of the Mansfield Rectory, Dr Grant?)
A George III Stilton Scoop ( Surely the perfect gift from Augusta Elton to her caro sposo)
A George III Tongue-scraper and Tweezers Combined ( The ideal gift for the vain Sir Walter?)
A Rare Wig Powderer dating from 1812 ( Mr Bennet could not cause havoc without this?)
A George III Gold mounted Malacca Cane dating from 1760
A Neo-Classical Nutmeg grater- THE essential spice to add to one’s hot chocolate.
A Jockey Cap Tea Caddy Spoon made by one of my distant ancestors, Samuel Pemberton ( just THE thing for Tom Bertram at Newmarket-but he didn’t drink much tea there , did he?)
and finally a silver apple corer…perfect for Mr Knightley to give to Jane Fairfax, perhaps, she suggested mischievously ?;-)
Do note you can enlarge all these photographs by clicking on them to examine the delightful detail…I hope you enjoyed this small tour of Georgian Luxury Gadgets and will find more to admire in Lawrences Catalogue :-)
9 comments
July 2, 2010 at 9:09 am
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July 2, 2010 at 9:30 am
imogen88
LOL, excellent examples for JA characters, Julie. Perfectly hilarious. Great catalogue, BTW.
July 2, 2010 at 9:45 am
jfwakefield
Im glad you enjoyed it Moni! A little bit of fun for Friday:-)
July 2, 2010 at 10:11 am
imogen88
LOL! I am very proud of myself, I have almost caught up. This blog is so full of thrilling entries…
July 3, 2010 at 12:25 am
Caitlin
Very funny – I’m for the leaf spoon499 I believe.
July 3, 2010 at 8:36 am
jfwakefield
I hanker after the caddy spoon…but then I am in danger of collecting those too!
July 3, 2010 at 12:39 am
Cathy Allen
I had known that previous generations were, shall we say… “out there,” when it came to making and using sterling silver utensils. I’ve gotten a kick out of some I’ve heard of and seen, even as recently made as my Mother’s “berry spoon” and “tomato server’” and she only began her silverware collection in the late 1930′s, so I expected there were some REALLY esoteric things available, but a silver apple corer? LOL, that’s really reaching, IMHO…what fun!
Thanks, Julie; I’ll enjoy the link later,
CEA
July 3, 2010 at 8:38 am
jfwakefield
I love it- such a beautiful thing,and so practical too !The neo-classical nutmeg grater is a thing of beauty don’t you think?LOL Imagine adding that to your Starbucks mochachino.;-)
July 10, 2010 at 9:36 am
Voices from the Old Bailey and Behind Closed Doors « austenonly
[...] and Jane Austen’s House Museum. She even managed ,after reading about it here, to go to the Georgian Gadets Sale at Crewkherne and play with the silver goodies on offer at Lawrences saleroom including the silver tongue [...]