ANTIQUE SILVER SAUCE TUREENS
Antique Silver sauce tureens Description:
A receptacle, similar to a soup tureen, used for serving sauces and/or gravy at the table.
Antique Silver sauce tureens History:
They first came into vogue in the latter part of the 18th century. Examples before 1770 are rare. They were made throughout the late Georgian period, all through the Victorian period and are still being made today.
Antique Silver sauce tureens Design:
Styles reflected the period that they were made in. From Neoclassical boat-shaped examples from the late 18th century, through ornate Victorian examples with gothic designs, through to very Art Deco versions from the 1920s and 30s. However, they all followed the same basic design having a removable lid with handle, a round, oval, or rectangualr body, and all sitting on some form of foot, usually a pedestal. They were sometimes made with matching stands to protect the table and to allow sauce ladles to be rested without marking any linen. Those without stands were made with a notch in the cover to allow the ladle to be placed inside the tureen when not in use.
Antique Silver sauce tureens Collectors Note:
Early pairs of tureens are now quite rare. Check that all hallmarks match including the covers, and any stands. Look closely at the junctions of handles with the body and lid, and where the feet are attached, to make sure that no repairs are evident. Check the main body for any thin spots where crests or monograms have been erased. Early pairs of sauce tureens with original stands command the highest prices.