Sugar tongs (part of a set)

Unknown

ca. 1730–50 · Gold · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

In the first half of the eighteenth century, tea was a luxury item, an expensive imported commodity. Although most vessels made for the tea service—usually of silver or porcelain—were also expensive, this set of gold implements must have seemed impossibly lavish. The pierced spoon was used to skim stray tea leaves from the cup.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1730–50

Medium

Gold

Culture

Irish, Dublin

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1927