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Watch the birdie

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Author	Topic: Watch the birdie
rian Posts: 169 Registered: Jan 2006	posted 08-07-2008 07:35 AM [01-2671] My first thought when I saw this pattern was Gorham's Nightingale (1885) but the bird faces the wrong way and the handle is different and... oops, when you turn it over, there is the Durgin bird mark. It looks like someone took the plain 1870 Durgin pattern, French Antique, and updated it to mid-80s taste. My thought is that if there are lots of these spoons around the decorations were done at the Durgin factory. Fewer might mean an individual retailer might have modified his stock to make it more salable or an individual owner might have special ordered the work? What do you think? The reason I posted to this forum is that Polly mentioned a while ago that she would like to see some of the birds that are nesting in our silver collections. So I'm adding from the Durgin drawer, a set of coffee spoons like the ones in Paul's insect collection that featured the fly and fern decoration. These are more common bird variations... and an English sterling cup marked for Edward Hutton of London 1885. IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 08-07-2008 01:38 PM Sweet spoon, looks like a chubby little chickadee to me, and to my eye, a prettier design than Nightingale. Reminds me of my German-made Firenze (Florence) souvenir spoon with cheerful little birds and a goofy dragonfly. Another German spoon with doves/lovebirds in a basket. My swan collector Mom has a set of six Durgin spoons like the four shown, all with a swan and the oval bird/wreath mark (plus a stray with the D mark). She also collects open salts and spoons, out of about 400 salts and nearly as many spoons, she has close to 100 swans, a quarter of those in silver or silverplate. Here are three from her collection that happen to be in my files: Early 20th century French 950/1000 by Charles Tirbour. Early to mid 19th century German 13 löth by Peter Bruckmann & Co. Unidentified 11 löth, suspect mid 19th century German. And for something different, a Navajo spoon with a wonderfully done owl and a Yei spirit in the bowl. IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 08-07-2008 03:44 PM Ooooo! Thank you for those. I've noticed lots of birds on 1880s aesthetic style pieces like the ones you show, Rian. I assumed they were following some Japanese inspiration, but I've wondered about the particular birds they tended to choose--lots of swallows and cranes. Do they have particular significance in Japan? Cheryl, your mom has lovely taste in swans, and I especially love that owl. My latest bird is Hebe's eagle (I posted it a few days ago in the thread about card cases): IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 08-07-2008 04:04 PM Most of my (silver) birds live in my jewelry box. A c. 1880s bracelet marked STERLING, with a pair of swallows: A pair of large lockets from around the same time: The one on the left is European, I think, but I can't make out the marks. The mixed metal one is unmarked; I think it's American. I'm strangely fond of it, but I think it's pretty ugly. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 08-07-2008 04:45 PM From the Post/thread: Shiebler Chicks IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 08-07-2008 09:10 PM I consider myself a Shiebler chick. IP: Logged
rian Posts: 169 Registered: Jan 2006	posted 08-08-2008 07:24 AM Swans seem both fierce and elegant--what a wonderful theme for a collection. Cheryl, you are so lucky to have a mother who shares your love of silver. I'm having so much fun looking at these pictures. Polly, you really are a silver chick. Here are a pair of cranes in a Japanese mixed metal pin dish. Cranes are supposed to symbolize good fortune and long life and because they are thought to mate for life, loyalty and fidelity. The flowers accented in gold are hydrangeas. IP: Logged
rian Posts: 169 Registered: Jan 2006	posted 08-09-2008 08:03 PM I don't know if the bird with his golden eye on the chrysanthemum on this Japanese box is a swallow. I'm better with flowers than birds. If what I've been told is correct, this piece is older than the crane dish because iron was used in making the metal alloy causing surface to pock over time. The inside of this box is silver which never needs polishing, I think because the lid fits so perfectly. IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 08-10-2008 04:52 PM Those are handsome birds, Rian--I can see why the Europeans & Americans went crazy for the Japanese style. I don't think that second one's a swallow, though. Swallows have forked tails. IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 08-24-2008 01:29 PM Here's my contribution from a sugar or jam spoon with twisted handle. I haven't been able to track down the maker, which appears to read j.s.s.& co. IP: Logged
rian Posts: 169 Registered: Jan 2006	posted 08-25-2008 08:41 AM I'm thinking Joseph Seymour, Sons and Co. 1887-98, but that seems kind of late for a twisted handle, doesn't it? Now that is a really cute bird--looks like a baby just learning to fly! IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 08-25-2008 12:23 PM thanks for the lead Rian, that may be it but as you say that seems a bit late for this overall design yet nothing else fits. IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 08-26-2008 04:53 PM A pair of swan salts w/spoons from Mom's collection - Hilliard & Thomason, Birmingham, 1903/04 for the spoons, 1906/07 for the salts. ~Cheryl IP: Logged
doc Posts: 728 Registered: Jul 2003	posted 08-26-2008 06:43 PM This really is find the birdie-from the interior of a Jas. Tufts bride's basket: IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 08-26-2008 08:59 PM That butterfly better watch out! Love the swan salts, Cheryl. IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 08-26-2008 09:03 PM Heh, the butterfly seems to be diverting his attention from the fat worm to his left! ~Cheryl IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 09-01-2008 01:16 PM from a Chinese export bowl by Wang Hing: IP: Logged
dragonflywink Posts: 993 Registered: Dec 2002	posted 09-10-2008 02:08 PM Just for something a bit different, a rather nice mid 20th century hand-wrought swan salt spoon made by well known Australian silversmith Jamie Linton. ~Cheryl IP: Logged
Marc Posts: 414 Registered: Jun 2002	posted 09-11-2008 02:45 AM Hi all, Some birds from my accumulation. The first is from a Japanese motif basket made by the Middletown Plate Co. of Tauten Mass. about 1875 or so. This basket came in from some friends at a coin shop this week who are familiar with my wants. The basket was not abused and probably not polished for a long while. It cleaned up nicely. This bird is on a card receiver made by Tufts, of Boston, Mass.. James Tufts is a popular in North Carolina because he founded Pinehurst. I have had this piece for years, and it has some plate wear on the stem and leaf.. Enjoy, as I have the other great birds in this list. Marc IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 11-26-2008 12:25 PM posted 11-26-2008 11:26 AM by nautilusjv in the New Members Forum Joseph Seymour Engraved Serving Fork quote: [26-1752] A bird post for the holiday. Here is a Joseph Seymour serving fork with a beautifully engraved pattern of a bird,ferns and flowers. The fork also has a twisted stem. In trying to find out more about the pattern, I searched the forums and under a string of posts entitled "watch the birdie" SMPub member Vathek posted a sugar or jam spoon with the same engraved motif. The mark on the spoon seems to indicate a date of c.1887-1900, but the motif and the twisted stem seem to suggest an earlier date as was pointed out in the "watch the birdie" post. Any new thoughts? Any information on the pattern name of this piece? Seeing Vathek piece made me think this was not just a one off item. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving! IP: Logged
FWG Posts: 845 Registered: Aug 2005	posted 11-26-2008 03:42 PM Personally I'd have no problem with this particular type of twisted handle and overall design being c.1890. No examples at hand to offer in support, but the twist looks more akin to that on small souvenir spoons of the early 1900s than to the heavy square-shank twists of the mid-1800s. And the engraving looks appropriate to the later period as well, at least to my eye. IP: Logged

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