Antique Victorian Silver Plated Gallery Tray Lee & Wigfull Circa 1880

Ref: A3814

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This is a lovely superb quality antique Victorian silver plated on copper gallery tray bearing the makers mark of the renowned silversmith L&W for Lee & Wigfull, Sheffield, England, Circa 1880.

This shaped rectangular tray has cut off corners with a decorative pierced fretwork gallery, wondeful engraved foliate decoration and a shaped handle to each side.

The quality and craftsmanship throughout the piece are truly second to none.

Condition:

In excellent condition with clear makers marks and no dings, dents or signs of repair. Please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 9 x Width 57 x Depth 40

Dimensions in inches:

Height 3 inches x Width 1 foot, 10 inches x Depth 1 foot, 4 inches

LEE & WIGFULL (SHEFFIELD) LTD

This enterprise, which manufactured silver, electro-plate, Britannia wares and cutlery, was apparently founded in 1871, when it was listed at Charlotte Street Works, with George Shadford Lee as the senior partner. The other partner was Henry (‘Harry’) Wigfull (1845-1908). The latter was the son of Joshua Wigfull (1810-1877) and his wife, Ann. Joshua was a prosperous miller, maltster, and corn dealer, who operated Sheaf Corn Mills, Forge Lane. He left under £25,000 and had six sons. Two of them, Richard Wigfull (1838-1904) and Thomas Dickon Wigfull (1843-1891), took over the family firm. Richard eventually became a brewer and left a fortune of £151,886. Meanwhile, Henry began working as a Britannia metal smith.
In 1877, Lee & Wigfull registered the silver mark ‘GSL/HW’ from John Street Works, Highfield. Two years later, the Lee & Wigfull partnership ended, and Henry Wigfull registered his own silver mark ‘HW’, with the name of the business unchanged. In 1881, Henry employed 50 men and 50 women at Stag Works in John Street. In 1882, Edward S. Potter (aged 17) died at John Street after suffering horrific injuries, when he became entangled in buffing bands/pulleys. The coroner stated that he had officiated at a dozen such inquests in the last six years (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 5 June 1882). In 1899, Lee & Wigfull became ‘Ltd’ (capital £50,000). The shares were held by Henry and his family, which now included sons William Henry, Benjamin Taylor, and Joshua. The firm had a London office at Holborn Viaduct, and exported to Australasia. In 1880, Lee & Wigfull was awarded a first-class award at the Melbourne International Exhibition (Sheffield Independent, 13 July 1880). By the 1890s, the firm had agencies in Melbourne, Sydney, and Dunedin (New Zealand).

Angelica Kauffman, RA (1741 - 1807)

was a Swiss-born Austrian Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Though born as "Kauffmann", Kauffman is the preferred spelling of her name in English; it is the form she herself used most in signing her correspondence, documents and paintings.

While Kauffman produced many types of art, she identified herself primarily as a history painter, an unusual designation for a woman artist in the 18th century. History painting, was considered the most elite and lucrative category in academic painting during this time period. Under the direction of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Royal Academy made a strong effort to promote history painting to a native audience who were more interested in commissioning and buying portraits and landscapes.

Despite the popularity that Kauffman enjoyed in British society and her success as an artist, she was disappointed by the relative apathy that the British had towards history painting. Ultimately she left Britain for the continent, where history painting was better established, held in higher esteem and patronized.

The works of Angelica Kauffman have retained their reputation. By 1911, rooms decorated with her work were still to be seen in various quarters. At Hampton Court was a portrait of the duchess of Brunswick; in the National Portrait Gallery, a self-portrait. There were other pictures by her at Paris, at Dresden, in the Hermitage at St Petersburg, in the Alte Pinakothek atMunich, in Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn (Estonia).

Satinwood

is a hard and durable wood with a satinlike sheen, much used in cabinetmaking, especially in marquetry. It comes from two tropical trees of the family Rutaceae (rue family). East Indian or Ceylon satinwood is the yellowish or dark-brown heartwood of Chloroxylon swietenia.

The lustrous, fine-grained, usually figured wood is used for furniture, cabinetwork, veneers, and backs of brushes. West Indian satinwood, sometimes called yellow wood, is considered superior. It is the golden yellow, lustrous, even-grained wood found in the Florida Keys and the West Indies.

It has long been valued for furniture. It is also used for musical instruments, veneers, and other purposes. Satinwood is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Rutaceae.

Our reference: A3814

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