Miniature Fender
ca. 1725 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This miniature poker is a toy. The term toy included any knick-knack or fashionable trinket for adults, as well as a child’s plaything. Silver toys like this one copied the exact details and proportions of normal sized pieces and came in a variety of subjects and sizes, ranging from domestic utensils to elaborate furniture.
There are several explanations for them. They might have been intended to furnish dolls’ houses. They might have been miniature trade samples. They might have been practice pieces for apprentices. They might have been fashionable novelties for adults to collect or they might simply have been playthings for rich children. In 1571, the daughter of Henry II of France ordered a set of small silver ‘pots, bowls, plates and other articles’ to give to a royal child.
The high point of production in London was the period 1700-1750. Because they were light and small, silver toys are not fully hallmarked. The form of the maker’s or retailer’s mark helps to date them.
There are several explanations for them. They might have been intended to furnish dolls’ houses. They might have been miniature trade samples. They might have been practice pieces for apprentices. They might have been fashionable novelties for adults to collect or they might simply have been playthings for rich children. In 1571, the daughter of Henry II of France ordered a set of small silver ‘pots, bowls, plates and other articles’ to give to a royal child.
The high point of production in London was the period 1700-1750. Because they were light and small, silver toys are not fully hallmarked. The form of the maker’s or retailer’s mark helps to date them.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Silver |
| Brief description | Silver, David Clayton, London ca.1725 |
| Physical description | Poker, part of a set of fireirons |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Mark of DC for David Clayton
Marks struck on the blade of the poker |
| Gallery label | SHOVEL, POKER AND TONGS
No hallmarks (London)
Mark of David Clayton struck on shovel and poker
No marks on tongs
Mrs. D.S.F. Campbell Bequest
M.228-1976 |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs D.S.F. Campbell |
| Object history | Bequest - Mrs D. S. F. Campbell Acquisition RF: 76 / 2060 |
| Historical context | D.S.F. Campbell Bequest This is a collection of silver toys, mainly English dating from the 17th and 18th centuries with some Dutch pieces, said to have belonged originally to Queen Victoria. According to Mrs Campbell's papers, they were given by the Duchess of Kent to Mrs Salina Bracebridge, née Mills, in recognition of her work with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, c.1855. |
| Summary | This miniature poker is a toy. The term toy included any knick-knack or fashionable trinket for adults, as well as a child’s plaything. Silver toys like this one copied the exact details and proportions of normal sized pieces and came in a variety of subjects and sizes, ranging from domestic utensils to elaborate furniture. There are several explanations for them. They might have been intended to furnish dolls’ houses. They might have been miniature trade samples. They might have been practice pieces for apprentices. They might have been fashionable novelties for adults to collect or they might simply have been playthings for rich children. In 1571, the daughter of Henry II of France ordered a set of small silver ‘pots, bowls, plates and other articles’ to give to a royal child. The high point of production in London was the period 1700-1750. Because they were light and small, silver toys are not fully hallmarked. The form of the maker’s or retailer’s mark helps to date them. |
| Bibliographic reference | Houart, V., Miniature Silver Toys 1981, Pl. 227, pp. 182 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.228D-1976 |
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| Record created | September 10, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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