Rare Pair Of 17th Century English Antique Ember Tongs

A rare pair of antique ember tongs dating back to the 17th Century.

Ember tongs were used to extract burning embers from the fire. The ember would be used to ignite a smoker’s pipe.

English origin.

They are made from steel. 

With two elongated stems, modestly curved as handles at one end, one bearing a handmade spring to keep the jaws at tension. The stems are united by a steel pivot and beyond, the jaws are fitted with a pipe tamper. The tamper also serves a secondary purpose, allowing the jaws to be separated by a small margin of 4 cm (1 3/4″) when opened. The jaws terminate with decoratively shaped leaf-like ends and the external surface of both stems is decorated in part with a linear geometric pattern.  

Provenance – Ex-private collection, Yorkshire, England.  

Condition – Please refer to the images. Good overall. The tongs fully function. A further detailed condition report is available upon request.

Size – Overall length 47 cm (18 1/2″)