1910s Edwardian Sterling Silver Rowing Trophy Candlesticks - a Pair

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A handsome and evocative pair of Edwardian sterling silver presentation candlesticks, originally awarded as rowing trophies and today possessing exceptional … Read more A handsome and evocative pair of Edwardian sterling silver presentation candlesticks, originally awarded as rowing trophies and today possessing exceptional decorative presence.

Combining the elegance of English silver with the sporting traditions of the Edwardian era, the pair represents precisely the sort of object that gives a collected interior character: beautiful in form, functional in purpose, and enriched by a history that invites conversation.

Dating from the early years of the twentieth century, manufactured in 1911, retailed and sold in 1912 (fully stamped), these candlesticks belong to an age when competitive rowing occupied an important place within British sporting and social life. Regattas, rowing clubs, schools and universities frequently commemorated achievement through presentation silver, transforming useful objects into lasting records of sporting accomplishment. Unlike a conventional trophy cup intended primarily for display, these candlesticks were conceived as objects that could continue to be used—bringing the memory of an event from the boathouse into the home.

Their appeal today lies particularly in this combination of formal Edwardian refinement and sporting provenance. As a pair, they provide the symmetry so valued in traditional interiors and would be especially effective positioned at either end of a mantel, upon a dining-room sideboard, flanking books or sculpture in a library, or incorporated into a collection of English sporting memorabilia. Their sterling surfaces introduce light and contrast among darker woods, leather, paintings and other materials associated with the traditional gentleman's interior.

The presentation inscriptions are an important part of their character - "WRC 1912 won by C. Craig." This engraving anchors this pair of candlesticks to a particular time, competition and sporting culture, giving them an individuality that ordinary silver candlesticks cannot possess. Equally attractive is the gentle patina accumulated through age, particularly where oxidation remains within engraved lettering and ornamental recesses, lending definition and visual depth.

These candlesticks therefore occupy several collecting traditions simultaneously: English silver, Edwardian decorative arts, historic sporting memorabilia and rowing history. Yet they need not be confined to a specialist collection. Their strongest quality may simply be their ability to bring history naturally into a room.

An unusually appealing pair for the library, study, dining room or mantel—objects of sporting achievement transformed, over a century later, into objects of character for a room of distinction.

Maker details: The maker's mark JD over WD in a shield belongs to the English silversmith and electroplate firm James Deakin & Sons. Started in 1866 by James Deakin in Sheffield, England, initially as James Deakin & Co., then became James Deakin & Sons in 1871 as sons joined the business. The Mark: The "JD/WD" punch (JD over WD inside a shield) was first entered with the Sheffield Assay Office in 1878, representing James Deakin and his son William Deakin. These were made in 1911 (Year stamp "L"). See less