225

19th C. Meriden Britannia Co Silver Pitcher & Tray

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:550.00 - 850.00 USD
19th C. Meriden Britannia Co Silver Pitcher & Tray
Featured in this lot is this Meriden Britannia Company serving pitcher and serving tray, circa 19th century. There are two items in this lot. The first is a serving pitcher, expertly crafted with a tooled scene of Poseidon and his trident; it also shows more scenes along the bottom rim of hunters with bears in action. The pitcher shows a unique closed port spout with a horn-like tooled handle and an angel riding a sea monster shown on the lid. The serving tray shows a matching scene of Poseidon and has a border of similar hunting scenes topped with practical handles. Britannia metal (also called britannium or Britannia ware) and is a specific type of pewter alloy, favored for its silvery appearance and smooth surface. The composition by weight is typically about 92% tin, 6% antimony, and 2% copper. The Meriden Britannia Company was formed in 1852 in Meriden, Connecticut as a manufacturing company focused on producing wares in britannia metal. The condition of this pair of uniform serving implements is good overall, with wear consistent with age and usage to the bottom of the tray. The measurements of this pair of serving utensils are 13 1/2" x 11 1/4" x 6 3/4 for the serving pitcher and 2" x 20" x 12 1/2" for the tray. Silver plated.