Images(44)

Hot Water Urn

Date1761-1762

Marked by Thomas Whipham II & Charles Wright (working 1757 - 1775)

OriginEngland, London

MediumSilver (sterling); wood; ivory; tinned sheet iron; copper alloy

DimensionsOH: 23 3/4 in.; OW across feet: 8 1/2 in.; OW across handles on base (with handles down): 9 1/2 in.; dimensions of wooden teapot shelf: 4 7/8 x 5 in.; dimensions of tinned sheet iron ash drawer: 5 1/2 x 5 3/4 x 3/4 in. OL of finial/ember tongs: 8 1/2 in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2019-72,A-F

DescriptionCoal-burning silver hot water urn with wood base

Components:
A: Wooden base with silver mounts and lower portion of urn
B: Removable wood molding with two projecting tabs and with silver gadrooned border and silver pull handle
C: Shallow square tinned sheet iron ash drawer with copper ally ring handle
D: Silver body of urn with ivory handle on spigot
E: Domed silver lid of urn
F: Silver finial/ember tongs

Description:
Silver hot water urn with wood base:
Base (A): Four silver hairy paw feet support a square wood base with scalloped skirt and two silver bail handles with pierced, asymmetrical shell junctures (each handle is attached to wood base via two silver threaded posts with silver nuts). Small silver pull handle on front of wood base is attached to a flat wood shelf that pulls out beneath the urn’s spigot to support a teapot. On opposite side, another small silver pull is attached to the silver gadroon-trimmed molded edge of wood base (B), which removes to reveal a shallow tinned sheet iron ash drawer (C) with copper alloy loop pull on front.
Lower portion of silver urn attaches to wooden base via two silver threaded posts: Square silver base with gadrooned edges supports circular gadrooned band beneath tall, spool-shaped columnar neck, pierced with alternating small and large S-scrolled vents. Flared collar with deeply scalloped edge extends above neck, encircling a cylindrical silver coal chimney with base pierced in pattern of crosses and stars. Note that, when assembled, the coal chimney is both concealed and enclosed within the body of the urn, and the scalloped collar extends up and over the lower body of the urn, covering the marks struck on the body.
Body (D):
Egg-shaped silver body with low-set, cast scroll- and foliage-ornamented silver spigot with scrolled juncture; spigot is capped by T-shaped ivory stopcock. A coat of arms with rococo mantling is engraved on the body above the spigot. Two hinged scrolled bail handles set opposite each other at widest point of body are affixed to wide auricular or butterfly-shape scrolled junctures. Spool-shaped collar with gadroon bands at upper and lower edges at top of egg-shaped body.
Interior of body is fitted at its base with a 3 5/8” high cylindrical sleeve with a slightly domed cap surmounted by a central 7 7/8” tall tube, which projects 1 ½” above rim of body. When the body is assembled with the wood and silver base of the urn, the sleeve of the body (D) fits snugly around the chimney of the base (A), creating a separate and watertight compartment for burning coal. The tube that extends upward from the sleeve serves as both an air vent and as a holder for the finial/ember tongs (F).
Lid (E):
Domed circular silver lid has straight narrow bezel and gadroon borders around lower edge and around 1 1/8” diameter circular opening at top for removable final/ember tongs (F). Lid is engraved with armorial crest of a cornucopia on a torse.
Finial/ember tongs (F):
Removable silver finial in the form of a large swirling flame sits atop a stepped circular disk. A long, slender strip of silver with rounded tips is formed into a pair of U-shaped tongs soldered at the bow to the base of the disk supporting the final.

Label TextElegantly preparing a pot of tea was fraught with challenges—and even danger—for both hostess and home during earlier centuries. How to keep water hot enough to brew tea while seated among your assembled guests without risking burnt fingers or singed furniture? Initially, a kettle on stand was the principle form for keeping the water bubbling. Although it accomplished that task, the burning fluid used in the spirit lamp smelled and the exposed flame posed a real threat. In 1761-62, the London partnership of Thomas Whipham II and Charles Wright fashioned an almost two-foot high monumental silver urn with wooden base, cleverly designed to keep water for making tea at a near boil. This sumptuous example was recently acquired thanks to the generous support of the Friends of Collections. A waterproof compartment hidden within the urn held the burning coal used as fuel, while the pierced S-shaped vents in the silver neck provided an air source for the glowing embers. The substantial wood base with its handsome silver mounts acted as an insulator, protecting the tabletop from heat damage and also concealing both a wooden slide to support a teapot under the ivory-handled spigot and a small, tinned sheet iron drawer to catch any hot ash from the smoldering fire contained within the urn’s innermost chamber. Even the flame finial surmounting the urn served a secret purpose: it is actually the topknot of a pair of 8 ½” long tongs for replenishing the coal as needed.

The richly-engraved rococo coat of arms that embellishes the urn has yet to be identified, but Whipham and Wright had clients in both England and her American colonies, including the Carter’s of Virginia and the Lloyd’s of Maryland. By the 1770s, coal-burning urns had been superseded by a much safer heating mechanism which relied on a heated iron rod to maintain water temperature; without burning coal, there was no need for either air vents or wooden bases. Today, the Whipham and Wright urn is a rare survival of this innovative form.
InscribedEngraved with an unidentified impaled coat of arms and a crest of a cornucopia.
MarkingsBody of urn (D) marked in relief on lower proper left edge (hidden by flange/collar of base when urn is assembled): 1) sponsor’s mark “T•W” with “C” above pellet and “W” below, all enclosed within a double oval [Grimwade 1990 # 2976], for Thomas Whipham II and Charles Wright; 2) a lion passant; 3) a leopard’s head crowned; and 4) a lower case gothic “f” date letter for 1761-62.
Base of urn (A) marked in relief on underside of corner above ash drawer with marks #1 and #2 as described above (presumably fully marked, but this cannot be confirmed unless screws affixing urn to wood base are removed).
Lid of urn (E) marked in relief on bezel with mark #2 as above.
Finial/ember tongs (F) marked in relief on tips of arms with marks #1 and #2 as above.

ProvenanceBeck's Antiques & Books, Fredericksburg, VA
Alex Cooper Auctions, Towson, MD, February 26, 2019, lot 400
Mrs. Frank E. Washburne, Leavenworth, KS
Casey & Casey, Inc., 527 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA