posted 09-20-2025 03:00 PM            

I came across this Kirk punch strainer recently. These strainers are called punch strainers in the US, lemon strainers in the UK and are even sometimes misnamed tea strainers. The mark on this stainer was used by Kirk from 1830 until 1846.
This one is unusual as it is the only one I have seen with repousse decorated handles.
It seems to have a follow-on design from an earlier Kirk strainer with loop handles shown in the photo of Plate XXXI from the Pleasants and Sill book on Maryland Silversmiths 1715-1830. They both have what could be called loop handles, but the later one evolved into circular rings that are decorated with repousse work. This repousse decoration started in Baltimore in the late 1820s and now that city is well known for this form. From the comments by Pleasants and Sill in their book they considered it “over-loading silver with ornament” and showed very little of it in their book.

The photo below from Goldsborough’s book Silver in Maryland shows another Baltimore strainer, this time by Charles Faris.. This strainer also has loop handles and it is shown here because of the observation that strainers were frequently mentioned in 18th century accounts but for unknown reasons few seem to have survived.