Lawrence Holme Twentyman
Active 1818- 1852
Born on 5 May 1793 in Liverpool, he was the son of John Middleton Twentyman and Phoebe Holme. After leaving school he served an apprenticeship as a clock and watchmaker. He arrived at the Cape on 12 June 1818 aboard the Ann. In his Memorial to the Cape Governor seeking permission to remain at the Cape he described himself as a qualified clock and watchmaker. Married Betsy Burrell on 24 March 1821. Lawrence, his wife and three children were granted a permit to leave the Cape on 8 March 1832. He returned to the Cape for short periods in 1835, 1837, 1844 and in 1846. Died on 8 June 1852 and was buried at Highgate Cemetery.
An extremely rare Cape silver table fork in the Fiddle Thread without Shoulders pattern, this is only the 2nd time we have seen this pattern, see 2 dessert spoons S 11120 and S 11121 which we have already sold. David Heller, in his book History of Cape Silver Vol. 1, depicts a spoon in the same pattern (plate 50, page 124) and a similar 3 tined fork (Plate 61, page 146), these are the only examples we can find in the literature. The fork is double struck (pattern on both sides), and has a single thread, but notably without the usual shoulder where the bowl joins the handle. The fork also has a long drop, with an unusual curve, showing this fork was hand made. The fork is lovely quality, a pleasing weight, and is in excellent condition. The hallmarks are excellent, a variant of mark 138 in Cape Silver by Welz, Castle, date letter C, and Georgian duty mark, with makers mark LT, all well struck. We have 2 matching forks, S 11432 and S 11433. A close examination of all 3 forks shows slight differences to the drop and the v shape at the top of the handle, which confirms these were made by hand. Note – An interesting article entitled “Cape Fiddle & Demi-Thread by David Twentyman, was recently published in the Finial (January 2023, pages 6-8). Twentyman shows marked differences between Fiddle pattern details, and concludes the pattern must have been applied by hand, rather than struck in a press.
Weight: 70 grams
Dimensions: 20.0 cm
Provenance: Leopard Antiques