Skip to main content

Irish Silversmiths - Benjamin Tait (1784-1791)

Benjamin Tait was based in Dublin. He produced quite a large amount of silversmith in his relatively short career. He worked from around 1784 to 1791. His workshop was near Bride Street, in the inner city of of Dublin.
His most common makers marks have a serrated edge and are clearly recognisable.
Example of Benjamin Tait's maker mark
He made a number of different pieces, but appears to have specialised in flatware. Below are four examples of his bright-cut pattern sugar tongs. His tongs are often much smaller than other Irish examples, the first three displayed measure between 13.5-14.5cm. The fourth pair are of a more common Irish size and measure just under 17cm.


Bright-cut Sugar Tongs with rounded shell bowls by Tait
Bright-cut Sugar Tongs with concave design
Bright-cut Sugar Tongs with flower pattern
Large pair of Sugar Tongs by Tait, in a much more typically Irish size and style

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Women Silversmiths - Catherine L Charles, Edinburgh, 1940s

 We haven't been able to find much information on artist and silversmith Catherine L Charles.  She exhibited a self-portrait (pictured below) at the Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition, 1928. She exhibited from 1928-37 in Edinburgh, Scotland and was quite active until at least 1946. At the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, she exhibited at least eight pieces and one other was shown at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Other examples by her include a winter mill scene and a still life of a vase with roses She was producing sterling silverware in the Arts and Crafts style in Scotland in the 1940s. A number of examples of her work can be found. Her maker's mark is 'CLC'. We have a number of pieces by her currently in stock.  A sterling butter fork by CL Charles Catherine's maker's mark and hallmarks for Edinburgh 1944 PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST, 1928.  (Courtesy Mellors and Kirks Auction via Invaluable)

What's the rarest? Silver from Scottish Provincial towns.

Antique Scottish Provincial silver is one of the most interesting and confusing areas of silver collecting. There were numerous towns that were producing silver in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There were no regulations governing these towns, so each town (or silversmith) came up with their own marks. These were often related to town symbols or coat of arms. It is often the question of rarity that wildly affects the value for these pieces of silver. Below is a table of suggested rarity: Scarce Rare Very Rare Aberdeen Arbroath Cupar Dumfries Ballater Ellon Dundee Banff Fochabers Glasgow (pre-Assay office) Canongate Forres Inverness Elgin Leith Perth Greenock Nairn Iona Peterhead Montrose St. Andrews Paisley Stonehaven Tain Wick This list is published by antiquesilverspoons.co.uk and is based on the research of Richard Turner (who's book, A Directory of Scottish Provincial Silversmiths and Their Ma

Regional NSW Colonial Jewellers and Silversmiths - T. H. RAYSMITH of Newcastle (in progress)

Thomas Henry Raysmith started his business in 1876 in Newcastle, New South Wales as Watchmaker, Jeweller and Engraver.  He appears to have also been a silversmith. His work was quoted in the newspaper regarding "the immense number of Masonic jewels, medals, badges, and other trophies manufactured by him bearing testimony to their quality ". By the end of his career, he was know as Jeweller and Silversmith.  Below is a nice heavy colonial sterling serviette ring stamped 'RAYSMITH', made probably circa 1890-1900.  He closed his shop in the 1920s.  He passed away 1935 aged 77. Below is a gold pocketwatch by Raysmith.