Description

Sheffield Silver Plate

From our Decanter collection, we are pleased to offer this Victorian Oak Tantalus Fenton Brothers. The Tantalus of renowned design made from oak with a stepped plinth base, silver plate straps with brass pins, oak columns and silver plate bridge. The Tantalus is complete with two diamond quilt cut tantalus bottles with faceted stoppers. To activate the mechanism on the Tantalus the key must be inserted and turned which unlocks the two spring loaded wings of the mechanism and pushes them upwards to release the bottles. A more unusual mechanism found on the Tantalus models. The Silver plate is stamped Fenton Bros Sheffield to one side and Staniforths patent to the other. The Tantalus dates to the second half of the 19th century during the latter stages of the Victorian period circa 1890.

The Tantalus comes complete with working lock and tasseled key.

Fenton Brothers was established by two brothers John and Frank Fenton in Sheffield in 1875. Working out of the South Moor Works East street. They became Fenton Brothers Ltd in 1896. They supplied ships, restaurants and hotels with their fine silver wares and were famous for their folding biscuit tins. They became makers to the war office during the first world war.

Oak has many global variations.European Oak, also known as English or French Oak, is found in Europe. It is a well known and very popular wood due to its different types and strength yielding many uses. It can have a very simple clean look or a highly figured finish varying from tree to tree. European Oak can be Golden-yellow to light-brown in colour. Brown Oak is from the United Kingdom and its name is derived from its red-brown colour which is resulted from an attack by “beef-steak” fungus. This usually give the wood an even colour, however, sometimes the wood can be streaked with a light brown giving it the name Tiger Oak.American White Oak, or White Oak, is found in North America. It is a very popular Oak used for many different functions. It can have a broad range of colour from yellow to a medium brown.American Red Oak, or Northern Red Oak, is also found in North America. It grows quicker and taller than White Oak which produces a coarser more open grain.

Victorian an era of British History corresponding approximately with the reign of Queen Victoria from the 20th of June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901 however, there are arguments stating that the Victorian era is actually from 1820 until 1914 proceeded by Georgian era and followed by the Edwardian era.

With every purchase from Mark Goodger Antiques, you will receive our latest catalogue, a Certificate of Authenticity, detailed care instructions for your chosen piece and an independent invoice (for insurance purposes) will be enclosed. As well as being protected by a no-hassle, money-back policy, your piece will be entirely insured during the shipping process to ensure the safety of your item.

Additional information