Large Antique Silver Plate Punch Bowl Ladle by f.b. Rogers, Baroque Handle

Details

Description

…. An antique punch ladle of truly generous scale, made by F.B. Rogers Silver Co. of Taunton, Massachusetts. At 16 … Read more …. An antique punch ladle of truly generous scale, made by F.B. Rogers Silver Co. of Taunton, Massachusetts. At 16 inches long, with an oyster shell-shaped bowl measuring 6 by 3 by 2 inches, this is a ladle built for the big bowl and the big evening: holiday punch, wedding toasts, a proper Sunday party.

The bowl is worked in a deep, generous oval with a subtle shell-like curve that pours cleanly. Rising from it is a gracefully twisted stem, ending in a richly modeled baroque handle, fluted at the neck and decorated front and back with blossoms, berry clusters, and scrolling foliage. The crown trademark and "Silver on Copper" mark identify the maker.

Silver on copper is a construction worth knowing: a heavy copper core finished with a layer of silver plate. It gives the piece real weight in the hand, and the warm glow that only silver over copper has.

Provenance: acquired at an estate sale on Nantucket, from the summer home of a former diplomat, a house where a piece like this would have been at home among serious entertaining.

About the maker: F.B. Rogers Silver Co. was founded in 1883 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, and moved to Taunton in 1886. For a time the firm operated as the West Silver Co., and the F.B. Rogers name was restored around 1904. It became a division of National Silver Co. in 1955. (The "1883" that appears in some of the company's marks is its founding date, not the date of manufacture.) This ladle dates to the early twentieth century, circa 1904.

Condition: very good antique condition, lovingly used, with a bright bowl and crisp, well-defined handle detail.

Dimensions: 16" long; bowl 6" x 3" x 2". See less