A pair of silver sugar tongs with a shell relief on each shoulder and lion's paw grips.

Images(3)

Maker's mark stamped on the interior of the arm.

Stamp on the interior of the arm, "SAVANNAH".

Sugar Tongs

Maker David B. Nichols (American, 1791 - 1860)

Datec. 1830

Mediumsilver

Dimensions6 1/2 inches (16.5 cm)

MarkingsMaker's mark stamped on the arm interior: D.B.NICHOLS [tops of letters are worn off]; Stamped on the arm interior: SAVANNAH [“S” is worn off]

Credit LineGift of Stephen Neal Dennis in memory of Addie Augusta Warthen Wert and in honor of John Bivins.

Object number1998.25

On View

Not on view

CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextSavannah silversmith David B. Nichols made these sugar tongs, which have an embossed shell on the arms and grips in the form of lion’s paws. “J” is inscribed on the shoulder. Nichols was born in 1791 in New Haven, Connecticut and worked as a silversmith, jeweler, watchmaker, and retailer in Savannah, Georgia from 1815 to 1839 and again from 1843 to 1855. Sugar tongs were first introduced during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, when sugar became more accessible to European audiences due to colonization in the Caribbean Islands and sugar’s cultivation through the forced labor of enslaved indigenous and African people. By the end of the century and into the next, tongs were cut from sheet silver and usually decorated with to coordinate with flatware for the dining table. The tapering arms often ended in shaped tips, like these lion paws.

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