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Large 25” span hand-formed tin-lined copper cauldron kettle of American manufacture, circa 1860. MASSIVE 21.5” diameter x 9.5” high at the rim. Every construction detail confirms pre-industrial American coppersmith work of the frontier era: hand-worked lap seam with individually hammered tabs visible on the exterior, iron rod enclosed within the rolled copper lip for structural reinforcement, and forged iron loop handles secured with hand-set iron rivets.
A vessel of this scale and quality served the hardest working kitchens of the frontier — cookhouses, boarding houses, ranch kitchens, military posts, and mining camp mess operations. Known period uses for a tin-lined copper kettle of this size include apple butter making, lard rendering, soap boiling, laundry boiling, brewery or distillery mash, and large-scale stock for hotel and cookhouse kitchens. Bought at a Prescott Arizona estate sale; Arizona’s first territorial capital in 1864; the Bradshaw Mountain mining camps and Lynx Creek operations were active through this period. A vessel of this caliber — possibly supplied to Arizona Territory through San Francisco merchant houses or freighted west from St. Louis or Cincinnati via the southern overland routes — was a prized and costly piece of equipment, not easily replaced on the frontier.
A century and a half of use and weathering has transformed this working vessel into something extraordinary. The deep verdigris and warm copper patina, the sculptural lap seam riding the flared body, the forged iron handles with their honest rust — this piece has crossed from artifact into art. It is as visually compelling as it is historically significant and will command any room it occupies.
Construction details:a large hand-formed Impressive copper body, hand-worked lap seam with individually hammered tabs, iron rod structurally enclosed within the rolled copper lip, forged iron loop handles secured with hand-set iron rivets, copper plug on one revite, original tin lining fully intact and waterproof. Treated with Renaissance Wax. Iron handle rust stabilized.
Material: Copper, tin, ironStyle: American frontier / Western AmericanaMaker: American manufacture, possibly San Francisco or Midwest originPeriod: Circa 1860Size: 21.5” diameter x 9.5” H (10.5” to handle) weighs: 13 lbs.unpacked.Condition: Excellent for age. Tin lining intact. Renaissance Wax applied. Iron handles stable.
Carefully custom double box packed and ships within 1 business day upon receipt of payment.
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