Antique Victorian Figural Cigar Lighter Chinese Porter Chinoiserie Reg. 1851

Antique British Victorian silver-plated figural table cigar lighter, modelled as a Chinese porter carrying two baskets suspended from a shoulder pole. The baskets were designed to hold tapers used for lighting cigars or pipes.

The square base forms the oil reservoir. The central screw-mounted burner originally held a wick which burned continuously; the smoker would light a taper from the flame and then use the taper to light a cigar. The hanging baskets provided a convenient storage place for the tapers.

The piece carries a British Victorian Registered Design lozenge mark which decodes to 16 July 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition of 1851, placing the design in the early period of Victorian electroplated novelty smoking accessories.

Figural smoking table objects of this type were fashionable in mid-19th century Britain and reflect the popularity of chinoiserie subjects during the Victorian period. Such novelty desk and smoking room accessories were often produced by Birmingham electroplate manufacturers.

An attractive and unusual Victorian smoking accessory combining decorative figural design with practical function.

Height: 16 cm

Good condition.

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