Antique Meriden B Company Water Pitcher #193 Quadruple Plate Silver Patent 1868

Description

This Old Water/Wine Silver Plated Pitcher was made by Meriden B Company in the late 1800s.
It has a maker's mark of Meriden B Company along with a Patent date of June 13,1868. It has a second patent date that is not completely legible. It also is marked Quadruple Plate.
The Meriden Britannia Company was formed in 1852 in Meriden, Connecticut, as a manufacturing company focused on producing wares in Britannia metal. By 1876, the Meriden Britannia Company had grown a great deal and the company made significant efforts at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in that year. The company won the First-Place medal for plated wares. According to Sotheby's in New York, The publicity of the award and the impression the firm made on the fair's 8 million visitors was continued by the catalogues and other intensive marketing; by the end of the 1870s Meriden Britannia Co. was considered the largest silverware company in the world.
This piece has an ornate design with a spout shaped as a Falcons head and beak - Above that on opposite sides of the spout there are Hunters stalking a Bear and the other side shows two Walrus. It has very detailed banding at the top and bottom of the vessel. The handle is equally detailed. The body of the pitcher also displays a detailed decoration that includes what appears to be Poppies. One side has the Monogramed initials "EC" inscribed in the center of design.
The hinged lid is in perfect working order and the porcelain liner is also in excellent shape. Many of these pitchers are missing the liners. This one is pristine. It has a lovely patina which I would not touch it is absolutely beautiful.
For a piece of this age, it is in very good condition with only one notable flaw. It has a small dent on one side of the body which is difficult to see - see the photos for details. The hole in the bottom is there by design as it acts as a drain for condensation coming from the porcelain liner.
It measures approximately 12-3/4" tall including the lid handle and the base is 6-1/2" across. It weighs in at just over 6 lbs
Please review all the pictures and ask any questions you may have prior to your purchase.
Offers welcome.
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