Silver plate cupping hands with vine, footed grape dish.
Circa: 1875-1911
Maker: William Padly & Son
Sheffield
England, UK
Stamped underneath hands with the makers marks & (599)
Wear is commensurate with age and use

Dimensions: approx 5.5 in x 8 in x 3.5 in

The discovery of electroplating by Dr. Smee in 1843 sounded the death knell for plating by fusion. Electroplating was faster and less expensive to use. With only slight alteration, the same method has been handed down from father to son in a long line of craftsmen. Briefly, the electroplating method is to fill a “vat” with a weak solution of acid containing certain salts, into which is placed an “anode” of pure silver. The article to be silvered is then suspended into the vat and a weak electric current is passed through the acid which attracts particles of silver from the anode and throws it onto the piece immersed alongside. Suspension time determines the quality and thickness of silver coating. At the desired time, the piece is removed from the vat. After a washing with water and acid, it receives its fine finish from the hands of a skilled craftsman who uses a fast spinning buffing machine.