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Tongs

1982 (made), 1951 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Leslie Durbin (maker)
Robert Goodden (designer)
Place of origin
London (made)

Sugar tongs, silver, pacel gilt, in the form of a stylised fish with long snapping jaws. The tail and fins forming the handle. The fins, tail, eyes and inner jaws are gilt and there is a chased scale pattern on the tail, upper body and fins.


Object details

Categories
Metalwork
Tableware & Cutlery
Tableware & Cutlery
Object type
Tongs
Materials and techniques
Silver, parcel-gilt, cast and chased.
Silver
Gold
Casting
Chasing
Gilding
Brief description
Sugar tongs, part of the Festival of Britain tea service, made by Leslie Durbin to a pattern by Robert Goodden, British, 1982.
Physical description
Sugar tongs, silver, pacel gilt, in the form of a stylised fish with long snapping jaws. The tail and fins forming the handle. The fins, tail, eyes and inner jaws are gilt and there is a chased scale pattern on the tail, upper body and fins.
Dimensions
  • Length: 14cm
  • Width: 5cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • London hallmarks for 1982
  • Mark of Leslie Durbin
Credit line
Given by Leslie Durbin
Object history
A replacement pair of sugar tongs made by Leslie Durbin forming part of a tea service designed by Robert Goodden RDI, CBE for the Royal Pavilion at the Festival of Britain and used by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the opening of the festival in 1951.

According to Professor Goodden, he destroyed virtually all the working drawings for the service when he returned from the Royal College of Art. A few sketch designs for details and one for the missing tongs have luckily survived. Leslie Durbin still has the original casting patterns and offered the tongs as a present to the Museum.
Subject depicted
Fish
Association
Festival of Britain
Associated object
M.59-1996 (Original)
Bibliographic references
  • Turner, Eric, An Introduction to English Silver from 1660, London, HMSO, 1985, p.43, ill.
  • Carol Hogben ed. British Art and Design 1900-1960, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, pp.182-83, ill.
  • Helena Dahlbäck Lutteman, British Design 1851-1987, Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, 1987, pp.70-71, 73. ill.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
M.80-1982

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O376935/tongs-leslie-durbin/
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