Silver Argyles (Argylls)
These vessels are generally accepted as being a container for gravy or sauce with the design incorporating some form of heat preserving element. This was usually in the form of very hot water or a small bar of heated iron.
The credit for the invention of the piece is usually the 3rd Duke of Argyll and the earliest recorded one in silver was made in around 1755.Their greatest period of popularity seems to have been in the 1765-1820 era although late Victorian and Edwardian ones are to be found.
There are several variations of Argyles (Argyll)with most based on the two main types. Some have an outer water jacket enclosing the gravy reservoir. They are usually filled with hot water at a point near the top of the handle through a small flap. The other main type was those where a small hot iron bar was placed into a conical tube which was fixed to the interior of the Argyle. Sizes vary somewhat from half a pint to occasionally nearer two pints.
At William Walter Antiques we usually have a fine selection of Argyles from the earliest period right up to the Edwardian era.
