Figural andiron of a Scotsman in tam o'shanter marked "SP" in raised letters, long buttoned coat and kilt, standing and smoking a long-stemmed pipe held in his right hand over his left. Billet bar has bump for log stop and pointed end. Billet bar fused into back of cast upright. No marks. One of a pair, 1978.0939.235-.236.
Onion-form teakettle with crooked gooseneck spout, cast-in arched ears and low-domed, molded cover with cast-in wire loop chained to the mushroom-shaped strap bail handle, rectangular in section; three D-section feet. Both pieces are hollow cast: cover has gate mark on top; kettle has horizontal and vertical seams on body and spout, a single gate mark on bottom exterior and a cast-in mark to right of back ear "A.T" in raised serif letters inside a dotted rectangular surround.
Pear-shaped or "Queen Anne" teapot on short foot ring with tall, bell-domed, hinged lid topped by wood button knop; upper part of hinge is a flat, rectangular block. Spurred, S-curve handle has cylindrical sockets; faceted, S-scroll spout has flat, horizontal oval lip. Lid decorated with three sets of scored lines and roulette work at edge. Body perforated at spout. Underside of flat bottom struck with an incuse "X" above maker's touch mark; inside has spiral turning mark and possibly an effaced touch at center.
Maker is Thomas Danforth Boardman (1784-1873) of Litchfield and Hartford, CT; working, 1804-circa 1860.
Dinner knife. Upturned steel blade with rounded tip. Blade, bolster, and tang are one piece of metal. Back of knife shows a "puddled" weld between the iron bolster and steel blade. Bone scales are riveted to the top and bottom of the tang with iron pins to form a block handle with rounded sides and a blunt butt. Metal is heavily scratched and stained, with rusted weld near bolster. Bone is crazed, discolored, and chipped at butt; also pulling away from tang.
Blade is stamped: “PARIS”
Maker is possibly Justice Paris, a manufacturer active in Sheffield, England towards the end of the 18th century.
Large, single-reeded circular dish with flat well scored around perimeter; no foot ring. Six marks struck on underside, two different touch marks of Frederick Bassett above four pseudo hallmarks (left to right), rampant lion, illegible figure (possibly a ship), scales and the raised serif letters "FB", all in shaped shields. Planishing marks on underside of booge. Sawtoothed circular, brown and torn paper label affixed to underside with cellophane tape is inscribed and printed (in black) "#3131(?) / Original / John B. Kerfoot / Collection".
Maker is Frederick Bassett (1740-1800); working in New York, NY, 1761-1780 and 1785-circa1800, and Hartford, CT, 1780-1785.
Rectangular, slat-top, wood-frame foot warmer or stove with opposed double-baluster supports that holds a perforated tin box with hinged door. Box top has three perforated bands; box sides feature three, large punchwork concentric circles and five, small punchwork hearts, those on the door positioned sideways. Wire bail handle hooked through loops on frame top; wire loop door pull. Pinned or doweled through-tenon joints. No marks.
Rectangular waffle iron, plier form; both plates feature a grid of squares with raised, six-petaled rosettes. Two, long, cylindrical handles, both ending in hooks that link around each other to secure closed, one hook is short and the other longer with a bird-shaped profile. Both handles with oblong pads welded to plates. No marks.
Broad-rim circular plate with shallow, flat well engraved with a depiction of St. Peter, with rayed halo, holding a key in his right hand and walking to the right on a mound with flowers, labeled "SPEDCERVS" at upper right; a continuous vine or stem of flowers fills rim. Rim beaded on underside; no foot ring. Underside has one incised circle around a partial, small, shield-shaped mark stamped at center with raised "Z / S" on one side and illegible motif on the other. One of two engraved plates depicting Sts. Peter and Bartholomew, DL*311692A-B.
Language and mark not identified; needs further research. St. Peter is identifiable by his attribute (key). Donor believed DL*311692A-B to be communion plates; hole in rims suggests at some point they must have hung as decorations.
Rectangular, slat-top, wood-frame foot warmer or stove with beaded edges and straight, rectangular supports that holds a perforated tin box with wire-rimmed, hinged door. Box top has three perforated bands; box sides feature four concentric circles in two punchwork diameters with a large circle at center and four, small, punchwork diamonds at sides. Wire bail handle hooked through loops on frame top; wire loop pull on box. Doweled through-tenon joints. No marks.
Circular plate with a high-relief, chased and repoussé armorial device consisting of a shield bearing the arms of France (three fleur-de-lis against a hatched ground) surmounted by the coronet of a marquis (three leaves and two sets of three pearls). Gadrooned rim stamped "B+V" in incuse serif letters to right of shield within punch work circle-in-diamond border; no foot ring. Crown and rose "FDL" quality mark stamped twice on face, flanking shield. At least three marks stamped on underside before decorated, a circular touch mark with "PIERRE" in raised serif letters inside a beaded surround; the raised serif letters "GLP" in a dotted surround above a rose, possibly crowned; and a human figure holding a sword over its head. Flecks of yellow, red, green, and white paint across face.
One-quart cooking pot on three, semicircular feet with a flared lip, bulbous body and wire bail handle looped around triangular lugs or ears. Hollow cast with three fillets, one around rim and two around body, the lowest one is a horizontal seam; two vertical seams on upper half and single gate mark on bottom exterior. Cast-in mark on side reads "ALLAIRE / 1", in raised serif letters inside a rectangle (partially visible).
James P. Allaire founded Allaire Iron Works, in New York, NY, in 1816, and purchased Howell Iron Works, located in present-day Farmingdale, Monmouth County, NJ, in 1822. Since Allaire Iron Works specialized in marine steam engines, it is possible pots marked "ALLAIRE" and "HOWELL" were both made in New Jersey.
Handleless, cylindrical caster on cove-molded base with screwed-on, low-domed, perforated cover having twelve alternating lines of three and five pierced holes radiating from center; no finial. Small crescents or other shapes stamped in two rows around upper half of body and one around base. Three incised concentric circles on underside of inset flat bottom. No marks.
Basin-bowl porringer with beaded rim and flat bottom with foot ring; integrally cast Pennsylvania-type solid tab handle without bracket is stamped "[H?] H" in incuse serif letters on front flanking a large pierced hole at top center. No other marks.
Two-handled, bellied-bowl porringer with low-domed cover topped by three bud knops. Bowl has an angled rim, shallow bossed bottom and two, curved, open shell-and-scroll handles with T-shaped or linguiform brackets, while cover features gadrooned bands around edge and central boss; both pieces are engraved on theirs exteriors "•L•P•" in shaded serif letters. Small oval angel touchmark is struck three times side-by-side inside bottom. Turning marks and Linen marks at knops inside cover; additional turning marks on underside of belly and bottom on bowl.
Strasbourg Type II tapered cylindrical, lidded and spouted flagon or pichet on domed base, engraved below the inset, V-shaped, curvilinear spout "G•R•H" inside a pomegranate shape with pendant bellflower. Low-domed lid with raised center has an upturned triangular cover for the spout. S-scroll strap handle has a beaded-edge, curved thumb piece, stepped thumbrest, and ball-and-disk lower terminal; five-knuckle hinge with blind hinge lug. Interior with plouk or pimple and single incised line below rim indicating capacity level. Top of lid scratched with a Roman numeral "III" at front and illegible script at center; thumb piece bears "9" above a crossed circle. Face of handle stamped with three marks, "1763" above a partial, upside-down circular mark of a castle labeled "SALZB:" and the letters "PM". Inside of lid struck "PM / 1790" and inscribed "P.46".
Rectangular, slat-top, wood-frame foot warmer or stove with opposed double-baluster supports that holds a perforated tin box with wire-rimmed, hinged door. Contains a square, two-piece, folded and riveted brazier or pan for holding heat source; tab handle riveted to front rim. Box top has three bands of perforations; box sides feature two, large, concentric circles and six small hearts, the two at center interlocked and four in corners at a diagonal. Wire bail handle hooked through loops on frame top; wire loop pull on box. Doweled through-tenon joints. No marks.