Chester-made Silver Tumbler Cup, 1735 Richard Richardson II

This is a very rare early George II period silver tumbler cup made in Chester by Richard Richardson II.

This top quality silver cup has an original gilt interior and is engraved to the side with an original engraved betrothal triangle - "I" over "TE" where the letter "I" (old English way of expressing the modern "J") would have been the surname of the happy couple and the "T" and "E" their first names.

Tumbler cups are so called because however hard you rock them, they will return to the standing position. They are often thought to have originated on-board ship to assuage the choppiness of the sea. This 280-year old tumbler cup is a fine example with a good capacity of 3.5 fl.oz (100ml) more than enough for a full measure of a well-earned whisky or brandy!

This cup was made in the city of Chester as indicated by the flat line at the bottom of the lion passant punch and the distinctive maker's mark depicting "RR" addorsed within an indented oval punch for Richard Richardson II. This mark was first used by his father until his death in 1730 and then by Richard Richardson II from 1732 to 1739 (Ridgway p132), so despite there being no date letter, it can be accurately dated to a few years either side of 1735.

This maker is noted by Maurice Ridgway in Chester Silver 1727-1837 (p165) as a producer of tumbler cups that are usually parcel gilt with a pale yellow gold where original - as per this example.

A fine piece of early Chester silver in excellent original condition.