Dunhill Carltonware Set

In 1907, when Alfred Dunhill started offering custom blends of tobacco for London’s most discerning gentlemen, few could have predicted that his company would one day sell everything from briefcases to bespoke suits around the globe. But in short order, his operation became something of an early-20th-century English answer to Hermès, creating quotidian luxuries produced by the best of Britain’s craftsmen. Whether essential tools for the motorist or elegant accessories for the man at leisure, Dunhill had British high society covered. What is presented here epitomizes this esteemed position: a possibly unique cocktail shaker with corresponding cups and an exceptionally rare table lighter, offered by New York–based vintage dealer Alan Bedwell. Like all of the pieces in the group, the silver-plated shaker—which has a vibrant red-lacquer finish and depicts a hummingbird in flight, hand-painted in gold—was made by a firm called Carlton Ware, located about 160 miles northwest of London in Stoke-on-Trent. The company was a frequent partner in Dunhill’s efforts, and though the shaker itself is not signed by the tobacconist, the other items in this grouping bear its trademark. (Bedwell, whose business, Foundwell, specializes in vintage barware, says the items were made in the 1930s, at the height of Art Deco mania.) The lift-arm lighter, crafted from brass and plated with gold, is based on a design introduced in 1928. With its similar burgundy finish and hand-painted pagoda, it serves as an ideal companion to the shaker, and its solid construction underscores the company’s position as a preeminent maker of these elegant artifacts. Despite nearing its centenary, it works perfectly with modern lighter fluid. The ceramic cups feature an emerald finish, and their interiors have been washed with gold. “[Dunhill] became famous for making exquisite pieces such as these to furnish the urbane gentleman’s lifestyle,” says Bedwell. “I have similar items in my personal collection, because they’re just as appropriate—I’d say essential—now as they were then.” Justin Fenner