Dutch silver snuffers

A pair of Dutch silver snuffers

Maker’s mark a bird

Deventer, 1752

99 grams; 16,7 cm long

The pair of snuffers has been made in the shape of scissors, with an incorporated bracket-shaped container to catch the glowing candle wick, which is cut off by the other flat and cutting part. Fully marked on the flat part and on the rim of the container.

Candle snuffers were already used in the 17th century, but especially in the 18th century, in order to prevent candles from smoking. Therefore, the wick had to be cut regularly. These special scissors with an incorporated container offered a solution to cut, catch and extinguish the wick. The silver candle snuffers that have been preserved are either part of a chamberstick set, or appear in a special stand or were made separately, like this pair of silver snuffers from Deventer. Not only are silver candle snuffers rare objects, silver manufactured in Deventer is also rarely offered for sale.

The silversmith with the maker’s mark ‘a bird’ is unidentified. The sign does not appear on the still existing copper plate of the Deventer silversmiths’ guild. That this master may have worked in Deventer is evident from the fact that there is another silver object struck with this maker’s mark together with the hallmarks of Deventer.

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