BEST SIX 2005 - THOMAS READ FOLDING BOW
This type of corkscrew is commonly referred to as a "Copley" folding bow after the painting by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), which depicts a steel
folding bow corkscrew hanging on a wrought iron nail. The story goes that while Copley visited a friend, he was offered wine
from the cellar but his host cound not find a corkscrew. Copley then assured the host he would never again be without a corkscrew,
and he painted the still life on the woodwork of the host's library - it now hangs in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
According to Bert Giulian's "Corkscrews of the Eighteenth Century - Artistry in Iron and Steel", "The characteristic of the Copley
corkscrew is that instead of the normnal hinge, the base is elongated and enclosed on three sides, permitting movement of the worm in one direction only."
This piece is made of silver and steel. It bears the mark of "READ" on the underside of the bow. This is the mark of Thomas Read of Dublin, Ireland, maker of the famous Read's Coaxer corkscrew.
It dates from around 1790.
I purchased this on eBay.
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