Art Deco Sterling Silver Sauce Boat with Silver Jubilee Mark – Hawksworth Eyre & Co., Birmingham, 1934
A sauce boat passes from hand to hand around the table, its form made as much for the eye as for its practical purpose.
This sauce boat was made by Hawksworth Eyre & Co. and hallmarked in Birmingham in 1934, during the reign of George V. Alongside the standard marks it carries the Silver Jubilee mark, showing the conjoined heads of King George V and Queen Mary. The mark celebrated the King’s twenty-five years on the throne, and silversmiths could choose to strike it only in 1934 and 1935. The underside is stamped by the retailer, Z. Barraclough & Sons of Leeds.
The body is octagonal, with flat panels rising from a stepped octagonal pedestal foot to a reeded rim. A broad pouring lip sweeps up at one end. At the other, a high-looped handle rises from a leaf-capped join and curves back down to the body. The silver is otherwise plain, so the piece relies on its crisp angles and clean Art Deco profile.
Very good condition, with no dents, splits or repairs. All marks are clear.
- Maker: Hawksworth Eyre & Co.
- Retailer: Z. Barraclough & Sons, Leeds
- Assay: Birmingham, 1934
- Hallmarks: Maker’s mark HE & Co, anchor, lion passant, date letter K, Silver Jubilee mark of George V and Queen Mary
- Period: Art Deco (George V)
- Material: Sterling silver
- Form: Octagonal sauce boat on a stepped pedestal foot
- Dimensions: Height 9.2 cm; length 16.5 cm; width 8 cm
- Weight: 227 g
- Condition: Very good; no dents, splits or repairs
- Buyer profile: Collectors of English hallmarked silver, Art Deco design and royal commemorative marks, and anyone who enjoys period silver at the table
Collector Appeal
The Silver Jubilee mark appears only on silver from 1934 and 1935, and only when the maker chose to strike it, which gives this sauce boat an interest beyond its form. The octagonal Art Deco design is crisp and well proportioned, and with a named maker, a named retailer and clear marks, it suits a working table as readily as a display cabinet.
It carries the mark of a king’s Silver Jubilee, a brief moment in history preserved in an object made for the everyday rituals of the table.
