Hukin & Heath Clam Shell Salts After Dr Christopher Dresser 1888

Beautiful but tiny pair or conch salts made by renowned silversmiths Hukin & Heath in a design after Dr Christopher Dresser in 1888. They have the hallmarks for JTH / JHM which were Heath & Middleton with London date letter N. The Heath & Middleton mark was first entered in 1886. Middleton joined the partnership after Hukin retired. I am classing this design as after Dresser based on Stuart Durrant’s attribution of larger conch shell salts in the same basic form, also by Hukin & Heath, dating from 1884. Those are flat bottomed rather than having ball feet & planished rather than smooth finished, but otherwise virtually identical. The ball feet are a classic Dresser design element & are found on toast & letter racks & on cruets all accepted as being genuine Dresser designs. These are very small (about 4cm / 1.25 inches across) & I think possibly individual salts rather than table salts. They must be salts although they are not gilded & could never have had a liner so in truth I don’t think this can be certain as I would have thought there would be more salt damage. These can only have very occasional use (if at all). The spoons ARE NOT ORIGINAL. They are silver & by Adie Brothers & date to 1925. Hukin & Heath Clam Shell Salts After Dr Christopher Dresser 1888