Norwich bulletin., 1917-10-27

(Written Specially for The Bul1etin.) While the popular impression ex- fsts that life ir Connecticut during Colonial times was almost Spartan in It's simplicity, the Investigations of tte late George Munson Curtis. as set forth ins his book Early. Silver in Con- recticut and It's Makers prove other wise. -4see~ 4- According te MT. Curtis, as early as 7ff6, the man who had amassed
 fortune could purchase coffee and
 runners of the modern chafing dish) elaborate urn-sh shaped loving cups. porringers--in a form which seem to
 have been peculiar to this century patch -boxes and snuff boxes. toddy-
 stFainers, as well as many trtnkets even yet dear to the feminine heart.
 By 1736, when tea had so far drop
 ped in price that it had become a necessity, beautifully chased tea-pots pure. designs. in forms now known as
 bell and pear. r- ..
 Connecticut. si!versmiths wore alse
 making graceful ,s- sauce and gravy
 boats, quaint steep1e- topped pepper
 casters, beakers with single and dou-' bie handles, cans with 0ouble; scroll
 handles, 'three-legged cream pitchers, Ca andlesticks ard salvers shaped like
 Later in the century beautiful tea sets and punch bowls became popular. as graceful in shape and line as the Eeppelwhite. Adam, and Sheraton furniture of that period. s1; 5F
 One of the, most frequent Of motives
 was the classical urn, which became as common in silver as in architecture. Meantime, the tankard had increased +: height, the fiat lid had been re- placed by a domed cover with finiaL and a band had been moulded around the middle of the body.
 It should be remembered, writes with spout. It was a drinking ves- seI pure and simple. The spout now 60 frequently found on these old pieces is quite a modren addition
 To the collector of antique spoons, MT. Curtis has much valuable sdfor- nation to impart, in this manual of made through the courtesy of Mrs. Elisha Edgerton Rogers, of Norwich, to whom MT. Curtis book was an ap preciated gift. Spoons in the seven teenth century, according to MT. Cur tis. were invariably rat-tailed. From the handle dewE the back of the b1wl to about the middle ran ridge, shaped like rat tail. This Is some times thought to have been an at. tempt to strengthen the spoon, but its use must have been purely orn- amental, since it adds little strength te these strongly made spoons.
 Sometimes the rat tail was shaped like a long V, and grooved, while on each side were elaborate scrolls. The bowl was perfectly oval in shape. while the end of the handle was notched or trifid.
 This style of spoon was continued, with notifications. through the first third of the eighteenth century. Then the bowl became ovoid, or egg-shap- ed. and the end of the handle was rounded. without the notch.
 The rat-ta was gradually replaced by what is known as the drop, or double drop, frequently terminating in a conventionalized flower or shell. or anthemion, while down the front of the-handle ran a rib.
 Later, the bowl became more point 1 ed, the drop was replaced by a tongue. v.hils VI I,s the he; handle about 11eo: instead end, reversed the position. 1
 A little later, the handle became l and was engraved with 1 bright cut ornaments and cartouche l at the end, in which were engraved | the initials of the owner.
 During the first ten years of the ! century a popular style ! was the so-called coffin shaped han l tlc, SuCCcCucQ EIOOaDly dUOuC IclV Dy l ] handle with shoulder just above the junction with the bowl, while the | ,nd became fddle-shaped. or of a l style now known as tipped-shapes produced to this day.
 Up to about 1770 spoons were of l tree sfzes-the teaspoon, as small as ar after dinner coffee spoon; the DOT ringer spoon, a little smaller than our present dessert size. and the table zpoon. with handle somewhat 1 shorter than that of today.
 So few forks have been found in of ole silver that it forces he belief that they were generally made of steel with bone handles There seems no ason why,> If in general use. silver forks should not 1ow be as common as spoons.
 h the great silver exhibition held few years ago in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. where there were more than one thousand pieces, here were only two forks to be cund. and they were of course two ined. l
 In the manufacture of siiver~are, IS in every other form of industry, modern methods have worked a rev ']utien, according to MT. Curtis. Now They have nested on my premises for early twenty years and ] never. have cen a young bird. 1t makes n0 diff l erence whether they occupy a house n a pole or in tree they are never