Unusual and very attractively shaped pair of Arts & Crafts silver candlesticks by S Blanckensee & Son, Birmingham 1922. Tulip shaped capital with integrated drip-pan above a slender, waisted shaft supported on a flared circular foot. Planished or hammered finish throughout - which we elected to lightly polish to retain patination in order to accentuate their planished Arts & Crafts finish. They could of-course be fully cleaned without problem. Original wood-filled loaded base. Both candlesticks hallmarked for the Birmingham assay office 1922 and for silversmith S Blanckensee & Son Ltd. The candlesticks are 13.5 cm in height. Diameter of bases is 9.25 cm. Candles not included.
 
The business was founded c1826 by Solomon Blanckensee – born 1801 in Wielen, Prussia (modern-day Poland) into a Jewish family who subsequently settled in Bristol. Initially a jewellery dealer based in Bristol, the business moved c1850 to Great Charles Street, Birmingham – trading as S Blanckensee & Son, with Abraham Solomon Blanckensee (1831-1875) as his partner. Solomon died in 1864 by which time his second son Aaron (1841-1902) had joined the business. The firm continued to grow rapidly and by the mid-1880s had moved to 14-15 Frederick Street where they were also manufacturing their own silverware (having registered their first trademark with the Birmingham assay office in 1885), as well as occupying showrooms at 35 Ely Place, London. In 1887, with Aaron at the helm, the business was incorporated, becoming a public limited company trading as S Blanckensee & Son Ltd. Of interest that the company at this point states its interests as being based in “London, Birmingham and Madrid” – although the Madrid operation only lasted about a year, primarily because they could not persuade their skilled workmen to stay to oversee production; apparently bemoaning the lack of ale and football! Of Aaron’s sons, at least one (Sidney Philip 1868-1944) followed him into the business which continued to expand its range of items produced. The company moved its London interest to Regent Place and then Hatton Garden. During the early 20th-century they acquired several other reputable silversmith firms, including Nathan & Hayes, Albion Chain Co. and the old manufacturing businesses of Stokes & Ireland and A & J Zimmerman. After the Second World War they merged with E Podolsky.