A rare Victorian silver Teastrainer.

A Victorian silver Teastrainer, London 1839, Reilly and Storer. The handle engraved with contemporary initials. The strainer legs are designed to fit over the rim of a teacup. \n \nThis is a  most unusual design for the period. The earliest teastrainers were what are now termed mote spoons, followed by a strainer with hooped handle and clip designed to be fitted into a teapot spout. From the second half of the 19th century egg-shaped infuser balls were usual and the modern form of teastrainer with a handle is not normally found before the very end of the 19th century. Condition: \n

Good with minor looseness in the central rivet. The maker's mark on the handle poorly struck but legible.

Height - 3.50 cm.; Length - 16.20 cm.; Depth 7.30 cm.; Weight 45.60 gms.