James II Antique Silver Chamberstick, London 1686.

James II Antique Silver Chamberstick, London 1686.

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Object Description

A distinctive little chamberstick (or “go to bed”) with the solid design and heavy gauge silver you’d expect from this date. It has the early form with a flat teardrop handle engraved with a family coat of arms. The circular pan has a gadrooned border and ribbed sconce, all mounted on three small stump feet.

Weight 187g, 6 troy oz.
Height 4.3cm. Diameter 9.7cm. Spread 15cm, 5.9ins.
London 1686.
Maker’s mark unclear.
Sterling silver.

A delightful little collector’s piece, fantastically rare, but still able to be used. Place it on a side table to cast a wonderful soft glow and flickering light.

Marks. Stamped underneath with a full set of English silver hallmarks. The lion passant and leopard’s head are partially struck but clear to see. The date letter, although rubbed, is from the date letter range 1678-1697 which is totally in keeping with the style of the chamberstick. It can only be “i” for 1686, “l” for 1688 or “t” for 1696 and in our opinion the date is 1686. The maker’s mark is completely worn away.

No maker assigned

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Object Literature

Silver chambersticks first made an appearance in the 17th century and early examples are now very hard to find. Originally they were made in sets as a household would need many chambersticks. They were used for lighting the way to bed and because of the movement created when they were carried about they needed a large drip pan to catch the wax. The earliest examples have straight handles (first flat, then tubular) which were superseded in the first part of the 18th century by a ring or flying handle. Gradually the design evolved and from the mid 18th century onwards they usually had a matching conical snuffer although from about 1790 onwards some were made with an aperture at the base of the stem to take a pair of scissor snuffers.