Description:
Silver taperstick with an octagonal base, which is marked with a star over "IG"in script for James Gould (c.1698-1750); the date letter "d" for 1739-1740, and the London hallmarks - leopard's head crowned and lion passant; and engraved with the crest of a double-headed pheonix on the base. Born in Somerset, Gould apprenticed in London with David Green, a plate worker and candlestick maker in 1714, and registered his first mark in 1722. His production of candlesticks and tapersticks was prolific during the 1730s and ceased by the late 1740s. Tapersticks were made to hold small candles called tapers that were commnly used to melt wax for sealing documents and were often found on candle slides, secretaries, and tea tables. They were also known to be used for lighting tobacco in clay pipes, illumination, and producing a sweet smell.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+75.184 |
