All of these items are among the pieces of domestic silver introduced during the eighteenth century for which we no longer have a use. The mazarine was a practical piece and was mostly required at a time when fish was generally cooked by boiling in water. It was a pierced vessel, plate or drainer which was put into a larger dish and upon which the fish would be placed so that the surplus juices would strain through into the main dish. It was probably also used for vegetables in the same way, although the piercings denote by their frequent nautical patterns that the main purpose was for draining fish. (more…)

Chambersticks

Modest and practical, the silver chamberstick was in use during the seventeenth century, but examples are not generally found before the last quarter of the century. In the line of the old nursery rhyme, ‘Here comes a candle to light you to bed’, the words refer to a chamberstick which consisted of a saucer-shaped base for safety, with a short candle-socket in its centre, and a simple handle by which to carry it around the house. Larger homes might later have an assortment of such chambersticks set upon a table in the hall, a person taking one when it was needed and lighting it from a special master taper. Usually made of a lighter metal, the diameter of the saucer-shaped dish varied but generally measured about six inches, the short socket standing about three inches high. Most late seventeenth and eighteenth century examples would have a shapely scroll handle soldered beneath the base and curving upwards. (more…)