Of all the antique Georgian silver sugar tongs on this web-site,
this is the first with a maker's mark that starts with the initial of the
surname - very unusual. These tongs are also unusual in that they are the
only pair of sugar tongs I have seen by this maker. They are also very early.
William and John Deane are believed to be
brothers. They entered their first mark together in 1759, followed
by others, until John Deane entered a mark on his own in 1768. They are
therefore almost certainly dated some time
between 1759 and 1768. The tongs are a nice example of cast sugar tongs of the
period. They have some repairs but these are generally well made and quite
difficult to detect.
These cast sugar tongs have also had some initials
scratched on the inside of the bow.
The final interesting aspect of these tongs
is the monogram, I simply love it. The "J" is back to front, which to me
reflects a little about society in those days. Presumably the engraver was
at least partly illiterate and did not spot his mistake until it was too late.
Presumably also, the customer was not too bothered - perhaps they too were a bit
illiterate and also didn't notice!
Click on any picture to enlarge