IX

IXTHE CASTERTHE CENTRE-PIECETHE SUGAR-BOWLTHE CREAM-PAILTHE CAKE-BASKETCASTERS.1712 (QUEEN ANNE).Maker, Ti.(See marks above.)1701 (WILLIAM III).Maker, Christopher Canner.(See marks above.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

THE CASTERTHE CENTRE-PIECETHE SUGAR-BOWLTHE CREAM-PAILTHE CAKE-BASKET

CASTERS.1712 (QUEEN ANNE).Maker, Ti.(See marks above.)1701 (WILLIAM III).Maker, Christopher Canner.(See marks above.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

CASTERS.

1712 (QUEEN ANNE).Maker, Ti.(See marks above.)

1712 (QUEEN ANNE).

Maker, Ti.

(See marks above.)

1701 (WILLIAM III).Maker, Christopher Canner.(See marks above.)

1701 (WILLIAM III).

Maker, Christopher Canner.

(See marks above.)

(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

CHAPTER IXTHE CASTER, THE CENTRE-PIECE, THE SUGAR-BOWL, THE CREAM-PAIL, AND THE CAKE-BASKETThe Queen Anne and Early Georgian Casterâ€”Its evolution in formâ€”The eighteenth-century Centre-pieceâ€”The Sugar-bowlâ€”Classic influenceâ€”Late eighteenth-century silver bowls with glass linersâ€”The Cream-pailâ€”The Cake-basketâ€”Pierced and interlaced workâ€”The eighteenth-century potter.Theclasses referred to in this chapter embrace the most delightful of the eighteenth-century silver plate, and appeal intimately to the decorative instincts of the collector. The pieces range from the utilitarian caster capable of varied ornament, to the elaborate table centre, an object of exquisite grace and capable of rising to perfection in the hands of an accomplished craftsman. Pierced work of great delicacy was a feature of the eighteenth-century decoration. As with furniture, the silver in the middle of the century began to grow complex in its character, in keeping with the growth of luxury. The century which began with the sober furniture and homely interiors of Queen Anne, closed with themagnificence of Chippendale and the subtleties of Sheraton.The CasterThe caster can be traced in an unbroken line as an article of table use from the end of the seventeenth century to the present day. Even with so simple an object, apparently incapable of much variation in form, it is interesting to note the successive stages of fashion and the different phases of its history.At first it was of lesser height. The examples illustrated on pages269and277show this. The straight cylindrical form, illustrated onpage 269, similar to that made by Christopher Canner, appears to have been the earliest type, and this lasted from about 1680 for a quarter of a century. There is a set of three Charles II casters of this style made by Anthony Nelme in 1684. There is also a simple form about the opening of the eighteenth century with plain round top. A fine Irish example, made by George Lyng, and marked with the Dublin hall-marks for 1699 (illustratedp. 331), shows a more ornate character not infrequent in Irish silver. The Irish silversmith was often ahead of his English contemporaries. By 1712 the Queen Anne caster was becoming taller and the body retained the band found in the straight cylindrical form. The cover offered a field for delightful and varied patterns in pierced work. There is a charm about these individual patterns which is irresistible to the collector. The cover is surmounted by a baluster knob which it retained throughout the successive changes in thebody. These ornaments are delicately symmetrical, and in one instance coming under the writerâ€™s observations the knob was a miniature of the caster it crowned. The marks on casters are placed at the top of the neck near the cover.GEORGE II CASTER. EXETER, 1728.Maker, Richard Freeman.(In possession of Messrs. J. Ellett Lake & Son, Exeter.)In 1730, at the Court of Wardens at the London Assay Office, it was laid down that the marks be struck as far distant from each other as possible, so that the series of marks could not be cut out in one piece and soldered into another piece. It had been found that it was â€œan antient practice among evil-disposed goldsmithsâ€ of converting new plate into old by this means.Variations in the body took place; sometimes the band around took an octagonal form and the concave body above and the convex body below followed this geometric form in their curve. There is an example of this type with the hall-marks for London for 1716, and the makerâ€™s mark A. D. in shield, wrought by Charles Adam. This is among the Chester Corporation plate.The George II sugar caster with the Exeter hall-marks for 1728, made by Richard Freeman, is unique. Its beautifully shaped body is exquisitely suited to the technique of the metal-worker. The plain band at base and the graduated foot carry out the symmetrical form, and help to give effect to the cover with its delightful pierced ornament. It will be observed that this pierced design is exactly in keeping with the reticence of the rest of the piece, and the baluster knob, almost acorn-like in form, completes a very fine piece of craftsmanship.The progress in form from the days of George II to the end of the century is shown in the group illustrated onpage 277. These casters, as will be noticed, are all circular in body, and do not include geometric forms. The George II example (1747) was the fixed type from George I to the early years of George III. A Scottish example of a sugar caster (illustratedp. 317), having the Edinburgh hall-marks for 1746, shows this established form. At the latter end of the reign of George II and in the early years of George III, from 1760, it is noticeable that the body swells in bulbous form, increasing in height from the foot. The next example (1771) shows the new top, pear-shaped; the swelling lower part of the body is still pronounced and the foot is taller, as in the cream-jugs of the period. In both these George III examples the cover is surmounted by a pine-cone knob.CASTERS.WILLIAM III. 1701.GEORGE II. 1747.GEORGE III. 1760.GEORGE III. 1771.1. The plain form with circular top.2. The fixed type from George I to early George III.3. The swelling body increasing in height from foot; the pine-cone top.4. The new pear-shaped top. The swelling lower part of body leaving foot as in cream-jugs of the same period.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE 1761.Height, highest part, 14Â¹/â‚‚ in. Diameter 20Â¹/â‚‚ in.EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE.c.1775.Makerâ€™s mark, T.F.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)The Centre-pieceThe caster never attempted to be other than reticent. It was like a poor relation at the table in company with the magnificence of the centre-piece. The pierced work in subdued ornament pales before the elaboration in such a centre-piece as that illustrated onpage 279, with the London hall-marks for 1761. The basket is of elaborate and graceful form, and the eight branching candlesticks mark it as a sumptuous specimen. The feet are elaborate and in rococo style. It belongs to the early years of George III, of Garrick, of Macklin, and of Foote. It was contemporary with the enormous head-dresses,the subject of so many caricatures, which followed the indecorous hoop-petticoats of the dissolute days of George II. Paste and plaster and powder raised these head ornaments to a superstructure representing chariots, and afureur des cabriolets, related by Horace Walpole. Men had them painted on their waistcoats, and women stuck a one-horse post-chaise on the top of their elaborate head-dress, which said head-dress was not changed for some weeks. Medical men of the day speak of this in terms which we will not introduce here. Sir Joshua Reynolds had commenced to paint his immortal portraits, Handel had found congenial soil under the House of Hanover to settle here, providing satirists with subjects as to his gluttonous habits, and producing music that has become English to those who like oratorio. Thomas Chippendale had published hisDirectorin 1754, with its wonderful designs; and Robert Adam, in 1758, had put his screen and gateway across the Admiralty in Whitehall, and was translating dull London streets into classic style. These were the nights at the â€œTurkâ€™s Headâ€ with Dr. Johnson, the supporter of the Royal House, the upholder of purity and piety in an impure and irreligious age, Burke with his flashing conversation, and Goldsmith and David Garrick, and a circle of men who counted for more than the macaronis and the fops of Pall Mall and St. Jamesâ€™s Street. Wealth was pouring into the country from India, and with it came rapidly acquired habits of luxuryâ€”habits that quickly reflected themselves in the furniture and domestic appurtenances. This silver centre-piece of1761, therefore, tells the story of these days of the eighteenth century, â€œremarkable for the great industrial revolution, which gradually transformed England from an agricultural to a manufacturing country, depending for food supplies on foreign countries.â€A second examination of the silver centre-piece, 1761, with the above notes in view, at once discloses its characterâ€”out of France and of Italy, with here a touch and there a touch from continental styles. If trivial toys such as thepantin, a pasteboard figure on strings, could take the town by storm, the craftsman in metal, with fashions streaming from over the Channel, could not and did not hold aloof. Traditional features linger or become rejuvenated, such as the sconces of the candlesticks which revert to the leaflike form of those of Charles II. The basket with interlaced work stands parallel with the similar work in porcelain from the Meissen factory with raised flowers at each intersection, just as in this silver centre-piece, and the old Saxon factory made this type of vase and basket as early as 1740 in the â€œKrinolinengrappenâ€ period. But the feet might have come straight out of Chippendaleâ€™sDirector, with their curves and shoulders and peculiar style. If Chippendale borrowed wisely from the cabinet-maker of France, the English silversmiths, many with French blood in their veins, found in French design something too alluring to ignore.SUGAR BOWL.With London hall-marks, 1773. Made by S. & J. Crespell. (Marks illustratedp. 377.)(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)SUGAR BOWL AND CREAM-PAILS.Pierced sheet silver with blue glass liners.LONDON, 1782.LONDON, 1786.LONDON, 1776.(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)Take another centre-piece, about 1775 in date (illustratedp. 279). Here are features equally interesting. The rococo form has become subdued. Thereare still branching curves, and plain baskets with interlaced work take the place of the floriated style candle-holders. The festoons with medallions indicate the classic style then in vogue. In this centre-piece the classic style is seen in combination with, almost in opposition to, the moribund rococo style. These may be compared with an earlier Irish centre-piece, 1740 in date (illustratedp. 335).The Sugar-bowlIn the specimen illustrated (p. 283) the classic style is seen at its best. The body is decorated with festoons, rosettes, and the rim and foot have a plain bead ornament. The handles are snakes with the head terminating at the rim of the bowl. It suggests that it might be a bowl of Ã†sculapius rather than a homely sugar-bowl. Pompeii and Rome, translated through the brain of Sir William Hamilton, the Brothers Adam, and the metal-worker of the Louis Seize period, have each contributed to this composite style. It is not of the purity of form of silver vessels found in the tombs. It merely borrows ornament from classic originals; it is like Sir Bulwer Lyttonâ€™s translation of Horace, rather more Sir Bulwer than Horatius Flaccus. In date this is 1773 and was made by S. and J. Crespell. It belongs to the same period as the Sheffield silver candlestick illustrated onpage 235.There is another sugar-bowl (illustratedp. 285), with the London hall-marks for 1786, showing the styleLouis Seize Ã lâ€™Anglaisewhich came into English cabinet design after 1793, when Sheraton publishedhis book of designs. This is an exceptionally dainty piece of work. The classic influence is still to be observed, but changed into something more sprightly, savouring of the boudoir of Marie Antoinette, and the metal-work on tables and lock escutcheons in the Petit Trianon. It is especially a silversmithâ€™s piece. It is a beautiful metal framework for a blue glass liner.The Cream-pailTaller vessels with a handle are usually termed cream-pails, though some collectors believe they were used for sugar. As they are of cut work they must have been used with a glass liner. They present some beautiful forms still clinging to classic ornamentation in combination with whatever new forms the craftsman could invent in conjunction with a severe style. The two illustrated (p. 285) show slightly differing intentions. The first on the right, with the London hall-marks for 1776, with its undulating top is in keeping with the wavy rims of the salt cellars of the same period, of French influence. The festoon of drapery with rosettes is in classic style and the foot and lower body has the traditional acanthus-leaf decoration. The handle and broad cut pattern ornamenting the body may be compared with the Irish example (illustratedp. 343), made in 1770.BREAD-BASKETS WITH HANDLES. LONDON, 1745-1775.Wire and sheet silver with cast and chased ornament.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)The other example on the same page (p. 285) is in date 1782, the year when, after three yearsâ€™ siege of Gibraltar, the French and Spanish made a supreme effort by sea and land to win the key of the Mediterranean,but were beaten with heavy loss by General Eliot. The festoons and the vase in panel are now in incised decoration and are subservient. The style begins to break away from traditional severities and establish something original and as reticent as the classical forms without being so coldly formal and unnational.CAKE-BASKET. 1761.Maker, Edward Romer.(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE BASKET.(In collection of author.)The Bread-basketThe last half of the eighteenth century saw the growth and development of pierced sheet silver with its varied styles, and concomitant with the sheet work there are examples exhibiting a fine perfection in wire work. Pierced bread- or cake-baskets with cable band are features of this period. The pierced mustard-pot, decanter stand, and other similar articles were common. Oval pierced baskets were introduced, with handles, in the reign of George II (1727-60). Originally they were possibly for bread only. Some collectors determine this by the pattern on some of them of wheat-ears (see example illustratedp. 289). By the time of George III they were elaborately pierced and chased and massive, and had feet. In other examples about the middle of the century they had no feet, and were more basket-like in form. There was an example in the Dunn-Gardner collection of a bread-basket in imitation of wicker basket-work. This bears the London hall-marks for the year 1733 and the makerâ€™s initials P. L., a crown and star above, and afleur-de-lisbelow, for Paul de Lamerie, the maker.The page of four examples (p. 289) illustratesthe types prevalent from 1745 to 1775. The top left-hand specimen is of wire work ornamented by wheat-ears.A plain cake-basket with the London mark for 1761, the first year of the reign of George III, is illustrated (p. 291); the maker is Edward Romer. Below this is shown a contemporary Wedgwood cream-ware basket in imitation of wicker-ware. Here the technique of the silversmith and the potter may be compared.The Eighteenth-century PotterIn connexion with pierced and interlaced work the potter did attempt to run side by side with the worker in silver plate. The two Wedgwood pieces (illustratedp. 295) show this parallel. The upper one is a chestnut basket and cover. While adhering in a measure to the strict technique of the worker in clayâ€”and here be it said it comes near to the fine reticulated work of some of the highest Chinese porcelainâ€”it, at the same time, approaches the contemporary refinements in perforated sheet metal executed by the silversmith.The lower example is even more remarkable; it is a Wedgwood cream-ware fruit-basket and cover. This centre-piece, though not emulating the grandiose proportions and elaborate branches of the silver centre-pieces such as we have seen, accomplishes what was apparently impossible, the manipulation of plastic clay as though it were silver wire. The result is delightful and surprising. In regard to the elaboration of this cut-and-drawn work, the Leedspotters who followed Josiah Wedgwoodâ€™s style produced tall centre-pieces in cream-ware with branches having baskets and trays. It is an undoubted proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED CHESTNUT-BOWL.Late eighteenth century.WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED DESSERT-BASKET.Late eighteenth century.THE POTTER AND THE SILVERSMITH.SALE PRICESCASTERS.Ordinary Queen Anne examples bring 50s. to 60s. per oz.; George I and George II, 25s. to 35s. per oz.; George III and George IV, 18s. to 20s. per oz. Later specimens only fetch 5s. to 12s. per oz.Rare and earlier examples bring higher prices, e.g.:Â£William and Mary (1701), 225s. per oz.112Queen Anne (2), (1713), 115s. per oz.72SUGAR-BOWLS.The average prices are roughly as follows: George I, 60s. to 80s. per oz.; George II, 20s. to 50s. per oz.; George III, 8s. to 50s. per oz. (varying from engraved and fluted to pierced and applied ornament); George IV, 7s. (fluted) to 35s. per oz. (pierced and applied ornament); William IV, 6s. to 20s. per oz.Exceptional pieces of course bring exceptional prices. A sugar-basket of 1725, by Paul Lamerie, sold in 1909 for Â£113, at 195s. per oz. A set of three George III (1763) sugar vases and covers were sold at the Ashburnham Sale in March 1914, for Â£214, at 135s. per oz.

THE CASTER, THE CENTRE-PIECE, THE SUGAR-BOWL, THE CREAM-PAIL, AND THE CAKE-BASKET

The Queen Anne and Early Georgian Casterâ€”Its evolution in formâ€”The eighteenth-century Centre-pieceâ€”The Sugar-bowlâ€”Classic influenceâ€”Late eighteenth-century silver bowls with glass linersâ€”The Cream-pailâ€”The Cake-basketâ€”Pierced and interlaced workâ€”The eighteenth-century potter.

Theclasses referred to in this chapter embrace the most delightful of the eighteenth-century silver plate, and appeal intimately to the decorative instincts of the collector. The pieces range from the utilitarian caster capable of varied ornament, to the elaborate table centre, an object of exquisite grace and capable of rising to perfection in the hands of an accomplished craftsman. Pierced work of great delicacy was a feature of the eighteenth-century decoration. As with furniture, the silver in the middle of the century began to grow complex in its character, in keeping with the growth of luxury. The century which began with the sober furniture and homely interiors of Queen Anne, closed with themagnificence of Chippendale and the subtleties of Sheraton.

The Caster

The caster can be traced in an unbroken line as an article of table use from the end of the seventeenth century to the present day. Even with so simple an object, apparently incapable of much variation in form, it is interesting to note the successive stages of fashion and the different phases of its history.

At first it was of lesser height. The examples illustrated on pages269and277show this. The straight cylindrical form, illustrated onpage 269, similar to that made by Christopher Canner, appears to have been the earliest type, and this lasted from about 1680 for a quarter of a century. There is a set of three Charles II casters of this style made by Anthony Nelme in 1684. There is also a simple form about the opening of the eighteenth century with plain round top. A fine Irish example, made by George Lyng, and marked with the Dublin hall-marks for 1699 (illustratedp. 331), shows a more ornate character not infrequent in Irish silver. The Irish silversmith was often ahead of his English contemporaries. By 1712 the Queen Anne caster was becoming taller and the body retained the band found in the straight cylindrical form. The cover offered a field for delightful and varied patterns in pierced work. There is a charm about these individual patterns which is irresistible to the collector. The cover is surmounted by a baluster knob which it retained throughout the successive changes in thebody. These ornaments are delicately symmetrical, and in one instance coming under the writerâ€™s observations the knob was a miniature of the caster it crowned. The marks on casters are placed at the top of the neck near the cover.

GEORGE II CASTER. EXETER, 1728.Maker, Richard Freeman.(In possession of Messrs. J. Ellett Lake & Son, Exeter.)

GEORGE II CASTER. EXETER, 1728.

Maker, Richard Freeman.

(In possession of Messrs. J. Ellett Lake & Son, Exeter.)

In 1730, at the Court of Wardens at the London Assay Office, it was laid down that the marks be struck as far distant from each other as possible, so that the series of marks could not be cut out in one piece and soldered into another piece. It had been found that it was â€œan antient practice among evil-disposed goldsmithsâ€ of converting new plate into old by this means.

Variations in the body took place; sometimes the band around took an octagonal form and the concave body above and the convex body below followed this geometric form in their curve. There is an example of this type with the hall-marks for London for 1716, and the makerâ€™s mark A. D. in shield, wrought by Charles Adam. This is among the Chester Corporation plate.

The George II sugar caster with the Exeter hall-marks for 1728, made by Richard Freeman, is unique. Its beautifully shaped body is exquisitely suited to the technique of the metal-worker. The plain band at base and the graduated foot carry out the symmetrical form, and help to give effect to the cover with its delightful pierced ornament. It will be observed that this pierced design is exactly in keeping with the reticence of the rest of the piece, and the baluster knob, almost acorn-like in form, completes a very fine piece of craftsmanship.

The progress in form from the days of George II to the end of the century is shown in the group illustrated onpage 277. These casters, as will be noticed, are all circular in body, and do not include geometric forms. The George II example (1747) was the fixed type from George I to the early years of George III. A Scottish example of a sugar caster (illustratedp. 317), having the Edinburgh hall-marks for 1746, shows this established form. At the latter end of the reign of George II and in the early years of George III, from 1760, it is noticeable that the body swells in bulbous form, increasing in height from the foot. The next example (1771) shows the new top, pear-shaped; the swelling lower part of the body is still pronounced and the foot is taller, as in the cream-jugs of the period. In both these George III examples the cover is surmounted by a pine-cone knob.

CASTERS.WILLIAM III. 1701.GEORGE II. 1747.GEORGE III. 1760.GEORGE III. 1771.1. The plain form with circular top.2. The fixed type from George I to early George III.3. The swelling body increasing in height from foot; the pine-cone top.4. The new pear-shaped top. The swelling lower part of body leaving foot as in cream-jugs of the same period.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

CASTERS.

WILLIAM III. 1701.

GEORGE II. 1747.

GEORGE III. 1760.

GEORGE III. 1771.

1. The plain form with circular top.

2. The fixed type from George I to early George III.

3. The swelling body increasing in height from foot; the pine-cone top.

4. The new pear-shaped top. The swelling lower part of body leaving foot as in cream-jugs of the same period.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE 1761.Height, highest part, 14Â¹/â‚‚ in. Diameter 20Â¹/â‚‚ in.

EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE 1761.

Height, highest part, 14Â¹/â‚‚ in. Diameter 20Â¹/â‚‚ in.

EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE.c.1775.Makerâ€™s mark, T.F.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

EARLY GEORGE III CENTREPIECE.c.1775.

Makerâ€™s mark, T.F.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

The Centre-piece

The caster never attempted to be other than reticent. It was like a poor relation at the table in company with the magnificence of the centre-piece. The pierced work in subdued ornament pales before the elaboration in such a centre-piece as that illustrated onpage 279, with the London hall-marks for 1761. The basket is of elaborate and graceful form, and the eight branching candlesticks mark it as a sumptuous specimen. The feet are elaborate and in rococo style. It belongs to the early years of George III, of Garrick, of Macklin, and of Foote. It was contemporary with the enormous head-dresses,the subject of so many caricatures, which followed the indecorous hoop-petticoats of the dissolute days of George II. Paste and plaster and powder raised these head ornaments to a superstructure representing chariots, and afureur des cabriolets, related by Horace Walpole. Men had them painted on their waistcoats, and women stuck a one-horse post-chaise on the top of their elaborate head-dress, which said head-dress was not changed for some weeks. Medical men of the day speak of this in terms which we will not introduce here. Sir Joshua Reynolds had commenced to paint his immortal portraits, Handel had found congenial soil under the House of Hanover to settle here, providing satirists with subjects as to his gluttonous habits, and producing music that has become English to those who like oratorio. Thomas Chippendale had published hisDirectorin 1754, with its wonderful designs; and Robert Adam, in 1758, had put his screen and gateway across the Admiralty in Whitehall, and was translating dull London streets into classic style. These were the nights at the â€œTurkâ€™s Headâ€ with Dr. Johnson, the supporter of the Royal House, the upholder of purity and piety in an impure and irreligious age, Burke with his flashing conversation, and Goldsmith and David Garrick, and a circle of men who counted for more than the macaronis and the fops of Pall Mall and St. Jamesâ€™s Street. Wealth was pouring into the country from India, and with it came rapidly acquired habits of luxuryâ€”habits that quickly reflected themselves in the furniture and domestic appurtenances. This silver centre-piece of1761, therefore, tells the story of these days of the eighteenth century, â€œremarkable for the great industrial revolution, which gradually transformed England from an agricultural to a manufacturing country, depending for food supplies on foreign countries.â€

A second examination of the silver centre-piece, 1761, with the above notes in view, at once discloses its characterâ€”out of France and of Italy, with here a touch and there a touch from continental styles. If trivial toys such as thepantin, a pasteboard figure on strings, could take the town by storm, the craftsman in metal, with fashions streaming from over the Channel, could not and did not hold aloof. Traditional features linger or become rejuvenated, such as the sconces of the candlesticks which revert to the leaflike form of those of Charles II. The basket with interlaced work stands parallel with the similar work in porcelain from the Meissen factory with raised flowers at each intersection, just as in this silver centre-piece, and the old Saxon factory made this type of vase and basket as early as 1740 in the â€œKrinolinengrappenâ€ period. But the feet might have come straight out of Chippendaleâ€™sDirector, with their curves and shoulders and peculiar style. If Chippendale borrowed wisely from the cabinet-maker of France, the English silversmiths, many with French blood in their veins, found in French design something too alluring to ignore.

SUGAR BOWL.With London hall-marks, 1773. Made by S. & J. Crespell. (Marks illustratedp. 377.)(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)

SUGAR BOWL.

With London hall-marks, 1773. Made by S. & J. Crespell. (Marks illustratedp. 377.)

(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)

SUGAR BOWL AND CREAM-PAILS.Pierced sheet silver with blue glass liners.LONDON, 1782.LONDON, 1786.LONDON, 1776.(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)

SUGAR BOWL AND CREAM-PAILS.

Pierced sheet silver with blue glass liners.

LONDON, 1782.

LONDON, 1786.

LONDON, 1776.

(At Victoria and Albert Museum.)

Take another centre-piece, about 1775 in date (illustratedp. 279). Here are features equally interesting. The rococo form has become subdued. Thereare still branching curves, and plain baskets with interlaced work take the place of the floriated style candle-holders. The festoons with medallions indicate the classic style then in vogue. In this centre-piece the classic style is seen in combination with, almost in opposition to, the moribund rococo style. These may be compared with an earlier Irish centre-piece, 1740 in date (illustratedp. 335).

The Sugar-bowl

In the specimen illustrated (p. 283) the classic style is seen at its best. The body is decorated with festoons, rosettes, and the rim and foot have a plain bead ornament. The handles are snakes with the head terminating at the rim of the bowl. It suggests that it might be a bowl of Ã†sculapius rather than a homely sugar-bowl. Pompeii and Rome, translated through the brain of Sir William Hamilton, the Brothers Adam, and the metal-worker of the Louis Seize period, have each contributed to this composite style. It is not of the purity of form of silver vessels found in the tombs. It merely borrows ornament from classic originals; it is like Sir Bulwer Lyttonâ€™s translation of Horace, rather more Sir Bulwer than Horatius Flaccus. In date this is 1773 and was made by S. and J. Crespell. It belongs to the same period as the Sheffield silver candlestick illustrated onpage 235.

There is another sugar-bowl (illustratedp. 285), with the London hall-marks for 1786, showing the styleLouis Seize Ã lâ€™Anglaisewhich came into English cabinet design after 1793, when Sheraton publishedhis book of designs. This is an exceptionally dainty piece of work. The classic influence is still to be observed, but changed into something more sprightly, savouring of the boudoir of Marie Antoinette, and the metal-work on tables and lock escutcheons in the Petit Trianon. It is especially a silversmithâ€™s piece. It is a beautiful metal framework for a blue glass liner.

The Cream-pail

Taller vessels with a handle are usually termed cream-pails, though some collectors believe they were used for sugar. As they are of cut work they must have been used with a glass liner. They present some beautiful forms still clinging to classic ornamentation in combination with whatever new forms the craftsman could invent in conjunction with a severe style. The two illustrated (p. 285) show slightly differing intentions. The first on the right, with the London hall-marks for 1776, with its undulating top is in keeping with the wavy rims of the salt cellars of the same period, of French influence. The festoon of drapery with rosettes is in classic style and the foot and lower body has the traditional acanthus-leaf decoration. The handle and broad cut pattern ornamenting the body may be compared with the Irish example (illustratedp. 343), made in 1770.

BREAD-BASKETS WITH HANDLES. LONDON, 1745-1775.Wire and sheet silver with cast and chased ornament.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

BREAD-BASKETS WITH HANDLES. LONDON, 1745-1775.

Wire and sheet silver with cast and chased ornament.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

The other example on the same page (p. 285) is in date 1782, the year when, after three yearsâ€™ siege of Gibraltar, the French and Spanish made a supreme effort by sea and land to win the key of the Mediterranean,but were beaten with heavy loss by General Eliot. The festoons and the vase in panel are now in incised decoration and are subservient. The style begins to break away from traditional severities and establish something original and as reticent as the classical forms without being so coldly formal and unnational.

CAKE-BASKET. 1761.Maker, Edward Romer.(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)

CAKE-BASKET. 1761.

Maker, Edward Romer.

(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE BASKET.(In collection of author.)

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE BASKET.

(In collection of author.)

The Bread-basket

The last half of the eighteenth century saw the growth and development of pierced sheet silver with its varied styles, and concomitant with the sheet work there are examples exhibiting a fine perfection in wire work. Pierced bread- or cake-baskets with cable band are features of this period. The pierced mustard-pot, decanter stand, and other similar articles were common. Oval pierced baskets were introduced, with handles, in the reign of George II (1727-60). Originally they were possibly for bread only. Some collectors determine this by the pattern on some of them of wheat-ears (see example illustratedp. 289). By the time of George III they were elaborately pierced and chased and massive, and had feet. In other examples about the middle of the century they had no feet, and were more basket-like in form. There was an example in the Dunn-Gardner collection of a bread-basket in imitation of wicker basket-work. This bears the London hall-marks for the year 1733 and the makerâ€™s initials P. L., a crown and star above, and afleur-de-lisbelow, for Paul de Lamerie, the maker.

The page of four examples (p. 289) illustratesthe types prevalent from 1745 to 1775. The top left-hand specimen is of wire work ornamented by wheat-ears.

A plain cake-basket with the London mark for 1761, the first year of the reign of George III, is illustrated (p. 291); the maker is Edward Romer. Below this is shown a contemporary Wedgwood cream-ware basket in imitation of wicker-ware. Here the technique of the silversmith and the potter may be compared.

The Eighteenth-century Potter

In connexion with pierced and interlaced work the potter did attempt to run side by side with the worker in silver plate. The two Wedgwood pieces (illustratedp. 295) show this parallel. The upper one is a chestnut basket and cover. While adhering in a measure to the strict technique of the worker in clayâ€”and here be it said it comes near to the fine reticulated work of some of the highest Chinese porcelainâ€”it, at the same time, approaches the contemporary refinements in perforated sheet metal executed by the silversmith.

The lower example is even more remarkable; it is a Wedgwood cream-ware fruit-basket and cover. This centre-piece, though not emulating the grandiose proportions and elaborate branches of the silver centre-pieces such as we have seen, accomplishes what was apparently impossible, the manipulation of plastic clay as though it were silver wire. The result is delightful and surprising. In regard to the elaboration of this cut-and-drawn work, the Leedspotters who followed Josiah Wedgwoodâ€™s style produced tall centre-pieces in cream-ware with branches having baskets and trays. It is an undoubted proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED CHESTNUT-BOWL.Late eighteenth century.

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED CHESTNUT-BOWL.

Late eighteenth century.

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED DESSERT-BASKET.Late eighteenth century.THE POTTER AND THE SILVERSMITH.

WEDGWOOD CREAM-WARE PERFORATED DESSERT-BASKET.

Late eighteenth century.

THE POTTER AND THE SILVERSMITH.

CASTERS.

Ordinary Queen Anne examples bring 50s. to 60s. per oz.; George I and George II, 25s. to 35s. per oz.; George III and George IV, 18s. to 20s. per oz. Later specimens only fetch 5s. to 12s. per oz.Rare and earlier examples bring higher prices, e.g.:

Ordinary Queen Anne examples bring 50s. to 60s. per oz.; George I and George II, 25s. to 35s. per oz.; George III and George IV, 18s. to 20s. per oz. Later specimens only fetch 5s. to 12s. per oz.

Rare and earlier examples bring higher prices, e.g.:

Â£William and Mary (1701), 225s. per oz.112Queen Anne (2), (1713), 115s. per oz.72

SUGAR-BOWLS.

The average prices are roughly as follows: George I, 60s. to 80s. per oz.; George II, 20s. to 50s. per oz.; George III, 8s. to 50s. per oz. (varying from engraved and fluted to pierced and applied ornament); George IV, 7s. (fluted) to 35s. per oz. (pierced and applied ornament); William IV, 6s. to 20s. per oz.Exceptional pieces of course bring exceptional prices. A sugar-basket of 1725, by Paul Lamerie, sold in 1909 for Â£113, at 195s. per oz. A set of three George III (1763) sugar vases and covers were sold at the Ashburnham Sale in March 1914, for Â£214, at 135s. per oz.

Exceptional pieces of course bring exceptional prices. A sugar-basket of 1725, by Paul Lamerie, sold in 1909 for Â£113, at 195s. per oz. A set of three George III (1763) sugar vases and covers were sold at the Ashburnham Sale in March 1914, for Â£214, at 135s. per oz.

XTHECREAM-JUGGEORGE II HELMET-SHAPED JUG. LONDON, 1736.Maker, Paul de Lamerie.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

THECREAM-JUG

GEORGE II HELMET-SHAPED JUG. LONDON, 1736.Maker, Paul de Lamerie.(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

GEORGE II HELMET-SHAPED JUG. LONDON, 1736.

Maker, Paul de Lamerie.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Crichton Brothers.)

CHAPTER XTHE CREAM-JUGThe eighteenth-century tea-table and its accessoriesâ€”The beauty of the cream-jugâ€”Its evolution in form during a century.â€œI mustfurther advise you, Harriet,â€ says a lady in theFool of Quality, in admonishing her daughter, â€œnot to heap such mountains of sugar into your tea, nor to pour such a deluge of cream in; people will certainly take you for the daughter of a dairymaid. There is young Fanny Quirp, who is a lady by birth, and she has brought herself to the perfection of never suffering the tincture of her tea to be spoilt by whitening, nor the flavour to be adulterated by a grain of sweet.â€ This was published from 1766 to 1770 and indicates that a set of rules for observance was afoot in a time when etiquette was formal.But if cream was neglected by some precisians, the cream-jug bears evidence that in many circles it was a welcome and possibly very necessary addition to the strong green tea then drunk.It was etiquette to place the spoon in the cup to show the hostess that no more tea was required. It was the custom at Scottish tea-tables and possiblyelsewhere to have numbered spoons. The guests did not ask for a second cup until all the other guests had finished the first. Hence the cups were passed up to the hostess and the spoons numbered to ensure that each got his own again.Sir Alexander Boswell in his poem â€œEdinburghâ€ writes:The red stone teapot with its silver spout,The teaspoons numbered and the tea filled out;Though patience fails, and though with thirst he burns,All, all must wait till the last cup returns.The silver strainer had apparently become obsolete in Sir Walter Scottâ€™s day, for he writes inSt. Ronanâ€™s Well:â€œA silver strainer, in which in times more economical than our own, the lady of the house placed the tea-leaves after the very last drop had been exhausted, that they might hospitably be divided among the company to be eaten with bread and butter.â€The Scots are a hardy race.In lieu of the strainer a long-handled spoon with pierced bowl was used to thrust down the spout, as sometimes the tea refused to pour out. Etiquette forbade the hostess to blow down the spout.The beauty and variety of the cream-jugs may be traced for a whole century. One of the earliest examples (illustratedp. 301) shows a fine helmet-shaped jug, having the London hall-marks for the year 1736, and the mark of Paul de Lamerie the maker, renowned for his superlative work. The handle is original in conception and has a grotesque head as aterminal. The ornament is elaborate and representative of the best types of the George II era. A cream-jug of about 1740, made in Dublin by John Hamilton (illustratedp. 339) may be compared with the above example. The helmet form with the undulating rim is common to both specimens, but the treatment differs in character. The Irish example has three feet and possesses beauties peculiarly its own.CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE I. 1726.GEORGE III. 1764.Evolution from rotund form of early eighteenth century to slender shapes. The handle becomes broken in its curves. Three feet are in frequent use. The lip pointed and elongated. (See Irish cream-jugs,p. 339.)CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1779.GEORGE III. 1780.The single foot varying in length and the body becoming elongated. Compare with casters of same period as to elongation from foot.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)That early eighteenth-century examples were not always highly ornate is shown by the cream-jug with London hall-marks for 1726. This represents the transitional stage between the simple character of the Queen Anne styles and the elaboration found in those of the reign of George III.The series of cream-jugs illustrated (p. 305) shows the evolution in form from the Queen Anne rotundity to more slender examples; the handle becomes broken in its curves and three feet are in frequent use. The lip is pointed and elongated. This latter style lasted from about 1740 to about 1765 (see a fine Irish example of this type illustrated,p. 339). This specimen is in date 1764.Illustrated onpage 305are two typical examples of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. It will be observed that the three feet have in 1779 disappeared. The single foot is now fashionable and varies in height. The body becomes elongated. The handles still retain the older mid-century forms, with slight variations. The tendency to increased height in the cream-jugs at this date may be compared with the casters illustrated inChapter IX.A selection of late George III cream-jugs (illustratedp. 309) shows the classic tendency at the closing years of the eighteenth century and the first decade of the nineteenth century. The example, in date 1790, is tall and has a foot terminating in a square base, like a classic vase. The adjacent example, ten years later, is a reversion to the potterâ€™s form with flat bottom. The flat-topped handle is a reminiscence of the classic urn. The evolution in form, as is seen, is steadily towards the fuller body. The examples shown on the same page, in date 1804 and 1809, indicate new tendencies. It is merely the swing of the pendulum of fashion. In the first example the foot is beginning to appear in the form of a narrow rim at the base. The handle in the last specimen returns to the severe classic circular shape.SALE PRICESCREAM JUGSThe prices of these vary according to the style of ornament, chasing, and general character.Queen Anne plain examples have brought as much as 125s. per oz., realizing Â£25. Early eighteenth-century specimens bring as a rule from 60s. to 100s. per oz. Later eighteenth-century drop considerably in value, from 40s. to 60s. per oz. A George IV cream-jug, made by Paul Storr in 1820, sold for 36s. per oz. and realized Â£17.LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1790.GEORGE III. 1800.The beginning of classic type. Foot frequently following classic vase form. The reversion to the potterâ€™s style with flat bottom.LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1804.GEORGE III. 1809.The evolution towards the fuller body. The reappearance of foot as a narrow rim at base. The handle assuming its former circular shape.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

THE CREAM-JUG

The eighteenth-century tea-table and its accessoriesâ€”The beauty of the cream-jugâ€”Its evolution in form during a century.

â€œI mustfurther advise you, Harriet,â€ says a lady in theFool of Quality, in admonishing her daughter, â€œnot to heap such mountains of sugar into your tea, nor to pour such a deluge of cream in; people will certainly take you for the daughter of a dairymaid. There is young Fanny Quirp, who is a lady by birth, and she has brought herself to the perfection of never suffering the tincture of her tea to be spoilt by whitening, nor the flavour to be adulterated by a grain of sweet.â€ This was published from 1766 to 1770 and indicates that a set of rules for observance was afoot in a time when etiquette was formal.

But if cream was neglected by some precisians, the cream-jug bears evidence that in many circles it was a welcome and possibly very necessary addition to the strong green tea then drunk.

It was etiquette to place the spoon in the cup to show the hostess that no more tea was required. It was the custom at Scottish tea-tables and possiblyelsewhere to have numbered spoons. The guests did not ask for a second cup until all the other guests had finished the first. Hence the cups were passed up to the hostess and the spoons numbered to ensure that each got his own again.

Sir Alexander Boswell in his poem â€œEdinburghâ€ writes:

The red stone teapot with its silver spout,The teaspoons numbered and the tea filled out;Though patience fails, and though with thirst he burns,All, all must wait till the last cup returns.

The red stone teapot with its silver spout,

The teaspoons numbered and the tea filled out;

Though patience fails, and though with thirst he burns,

All, all must wait till the last cup returns.

The silver strainer had apparently become obsolete in Sir Walter Scottâ€™s day, for he writes inSt. Ronanâ€™s Well:

â€œA silver strainer, in which in times more economical than our own, the lady of the house placed the tea-leaves after the very last drop had been exhausted, that they might hospitably be divided among the company to be eaten with bread and butter.â€

The Scots are a hardy race.

In lieu of the strainer a long-handled spoon with pierced bowl was used to thrust down the spout, as sometimes the tea refused to pour out. Etiquette forbade the hostess to blow down the spout.

The beauty and variety of the cream-jugs may be traced for a whole century. One of the earliest examples (illustratedp. 301) shows a fine helmet-shaped jug, having the London hall-marks for the year 1736, and the mark of Paul de Lamerie the maker, renowned for his superlative work. The handle is original in conception and has a grotesque head as aterminal. The ornament is elaborate and representative of the best types of the George II era. A cream-jug of about 1740, made in Dublin by John Hamilton (illustratedp. 339) may be compared with the above example. The helmet form with the undulating rim is common to both specimens, but the treatment differs in character. The Irish example has three feet and possesses beauties peculiarly its own.

CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE I. 1726.GEORGE III. 1764.Evolution from rotund form of early eighteenth century to slender shapes. The handle becomes broken in its curves. Three feet are in frequent use. The lip pointed and elongated. (See Irish cream-jugs,p. 339.)

CREAM-JUGS.

GEORGE I. 1726.

GEORGE III. 1764.

Evolution from rotund form of early eighteenth century to slender shapes. The handle becomes broken in its curves. Three feet are in frequent use. The lip pointed and elongated. (See Irish cream-jugs,p. 339.)

CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1779.GEORGE III. 1780.The single foot varying in length and the body becoming elongated. Compare with casters of same period as to elongation from foot.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

CREAM-JUGS.

GEORGE III. 1779.

GEORGE III. 1780.

The single foot varying in length and the body becoming elongated. Compare with casters of same period as to elongation from foot.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

That early eighteenth-century examples were not always highly ornate is shown by the cream-jug with London hall-marks for 1726. This represents the transitional stage between the simple character of the Queen Anne styles and the elaboration found in those of the reign of George III.

The series of cream-jugs illustrated (p. 305) shows the evolution in form from the Queen Anne rotundity to more slender examples; the handle becomes broken in its curves and three feet are in frequent use. The lip is pointed and elongated. This latter style lasted from about 1740 to about 1765 (see a fine Irish example of this type illustrated,p. 339). This specimen is in date 1764.

Illustrated onpage 305are two typical examples of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. It will be observed that the three feet have in 1779 disappeared. The single foot is now fashionable and varies in height. The body becomes elongated. The handles still retain the older mid-century forms, with slight variations. The tendency to increased height in the cream-jugs at this date may be compared with the casters illustrated inChapter IX.

A selection of late George III cream-jugs (illustratedp. 309) shows the classic tendency at the closing years of the eighteenth century and the first decade of the nineteenth century. The example, in date 1790, is tall and has a foot terminating in a square base, like a classic vase. The adjacent example, ten years later, is a reversion to the potterâ€™s form with flat bottom. The flat-topped handle is a reminiscence of the classic urn. The evolution in form, as is seen, is steadily towards the fuller body. The examples shown on the same page, in date 1804 and 1809, indicate new tendencies. It is merely the swing of the pendulum of fashion. In the first example the foot is beginning to appear in the form of a narrow rim at the base. The handle in the last specimen returns to the severe classic circular shape.

CREAM JUGS

The prices of these vary according to the style of ornament, chasing, and general character.Queen Anne plain examples have brought as much as 125s. per oz., realizing Â£25. Early eighteenth-century specimens bring as a rule from 60s. to 100s. per oz. Later eighteenth-century drop considerably in value, from 40s. to 60s. per oz. A George IV cream-jug, made by Paul Storr in 1820, sold for 36s. per oz. and realized Â£17.

The prices of these vary according to the style of ornament, chasing, and general character.

Queen Anne plain examples have brought as much as 125s. per oz., realizing Â£25. Early eighteenth-century specimens bring as a rule from 60s. to 100s. per oz. Later eighteenth-century drop considerably in value, from 40s. to 60s. per oz. A George IV cream-jug, made by Paul Storr in 1820, sold for 36s. per oz. and realized Â£17.

LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1790.GEORGE III. 1800.The beginning of classic type. Foot frequently following classic vase form. The reversion to the potterâ€™s style with flat bottom.

LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.

GEORGE III. 1790.

GEORGE III. 1800.

The beginning of classic type. Foot frequently following classic vase form. The reversion to the potterâ€™s style with flat bottom.

LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.GEORGE III. 1804.GEORGE III. 1809.The evolution towards the fuller body. The reappearance of foot as a narrow rim at base. The handle assuming its former circular shape.(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

LATE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CREAM-JUGS.

GEORGE III. 1804.

GEORGE III. 1809.

The evolution towards the fuller body. The reappearance of foot as a narrow rim at base. The handle assuming its former circular shape.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Elkington & Co.)

XISCOTTISHSILVERSCOTTISH QUAICH. EDINBURGH, 1705.Maker, Robert Inglis.(Marks illustratedp. 405.)(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)MUG. EDINBURGH, 1790.(Chasing added later.)Assay Master, Archibald Ure. Maker, Joseph Kerr.Marked AÂ U, IÂ K, and date letter K.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

SCOTTISHSILVER

SCOTTISH QUAICH. EDINBURGH, 1705.Maker, Robert Inglis.(Marks illustratedp. 405.)(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)

SCOTTISH QUAICH. EDINBURGH, 1705.

Maker, Robert Inglis.

(Marks illustratedp. 405.)

(In possession of Messrs. Garrard & Co.)

MUG. EDINBURGH, 1790.(Chasing added later.)Assay Master, Archibald Ure. Maker, Joseph Kerr.Marked AÂ U, IÂ K, and date letter K.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

MUG. EDINBURGH, 1790.

(Chasing added later.)

Assay Master, Archibald Ure. Maker, Joseph Kerr.

Marked AÂ U, IÂ K, and date letter K.

(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

CHAPTER XISCOTTISH SILVERThe ancient history of the silversmithsâ€™ craft in Scotlandâ€”Peculiarities in markingâ€”The standard mark of the Thistle introduced in 1759 (Edinburgh), the Lion rampant (Glasgow) in 1819.Thestudy of Scottish silver is a special one. Its manufacture and the statutes governing the goldsmiths and silversmiths extend back to the fifteenth century. The chief centres of marking and assaying were primarily Edinburgh and latterly Glasgow in addition. But it is remarkable how many towns and burghs assayed silver. In comparison with England the manufacture of silver plate seems to have covered a wider area in Scotland. Examples are extant showing that Dundee assayed silver as early as the seventeenth century, with the town mark of the two-handled pot with lilies, and the same mark was used in the late nineteenth century. Perth had its lamb and the flag, emblem of St. John. Aberdeen had the letters ABD; Elgin had ELN; Banff had BA; and Inverness had INS, or its mark of a camel. This is enough, meagre though it be, to indicate that the identification of Scottish silver requiresno little close study into the records covering an intricate field, and many marks unattributed to any special place are believed to be Scottish in origin.Of the Scottish silver-plate, illustrated in this chapter, it may be said that, whenever possible, details are given of the peculiarities of marking to enable the student to familiarize himself with the differences in comparison with English silver. The assay masterâ€™s initials, the makerâ€™s initials, and the date letter are an array of letters possibly puzzling to the beginner.The quaich (illustratedp. 313) was made at Edinburgh in 1705. The maker was Robert Inglis, and the assay master, James Penman. The marks are illustratedp. 405. These old vessels were used for drinking spirits, and the two handles denote that, like the English loving-cup, they were passed around. They are not used over this side of the border. They are sometimes made of hard dark wood, and possibly their origin may be traced to Scandinavian forms. The Dutch have similar vessels. In the Willet-Holthuysen Museum at Amsterdam there is a silver brandy- or loving-cup with ears in form like the Scottish quaich or quaigh. This is of the first half of the seventeenth century. It measures 9 centimetres in height by 11 centimetres in width. The side of the cup is divided into six embossed parts, each encircling an engraved medallion of four symbolic figuresâ€”Faith, Justice, Science, and Labour. All these are surrounded by medallions in Renaissance style: the well-known conventional dragons, garlands of flowers, and cherubsâ€™ heads. The handles are also ornamented.â€œIt is a truly Dutch sweetly pretty little thing,â€ says Frans Coenen, the curator, the author of a brochure on the collection, â€œand seems to have been made on purpose to be held by a strong, powerful fist at the festive board. And festive boards were of frequency in the days of the Great Republic, when the merry cup went round with snapdragon, or even brandy pure and undiluted, as a kind of English loving-cup. And the ladies partook as well as the gentlemen. Neither did they refuse the weed which cheers but not inebriates.â€ The author laments that this form has disappeared from use in Holland. â€œIn course of time,â€ he says, â€œbitters and gin took the place of brandy, and the pretty vessel degenerated into a characterless bottle or jug, which in its turn was replaced by the teapot.â€SUGAR-CASTER. EDINBURGH, 1746.Marked with Makerâ€™s mark, EÂ O, and Assay Masterâ€™s initials HÂ G (Hugh Gordon), castle, and date Letter R.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)The quaich illustrated, in date 1705, exhibits the purity of design of the early years of the eighteenth century. It belongs to the year prior to the appointment of a commission to arrange the terms of union between England and Scotland. In 1707 this was legally effected. The United Kingdom was to be called Great Britain. There was to be one Parliament for the United Kingdom, in which Scotland was to be represented by forty-five members in the Commons and sixteen peers in the Upper House. The Union Jack was to be the flag of Great Britain.The cup with the flat handle, or â€œlugâ€ as it is termed in Scotland, level with the brim, was sometimes of more ornamental form, with six spheroidal sides, and the handles were chased. There is alsothe â€œbleeding-cupâ€ used by barber-surgeons so freely in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century. There is a specimen of this class of silver vessel, diminutive in character, at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The marks for the year 1698 are taken from this bowl (seep. 373).A quaich made by Thomas Moncur at Glasgow in 1665 sold in 1909 for Â£408, at 560s. per oz.On the same page as the quaich is illustrated a mug, in date 1790. It is the other end of the century from the simple quaich. It marks the beginning of decadent styles; the overloaded ornament, the want of subtle suggestiveness in the design, shows that the nineteenth century was at hand. It has an interest as being contemporary with Robert Burns.Tam Oâ€™Shanterwas written in this year.To this year belongs Burkeâ€™sReflectionson the French Revolution, which work had a great influence in turning English opinion against the revolutionists. Many replies were published to refute Burke, the most important being theRights of Manby Thomas Paine.The sugar-caster (illustratedp. 317) belongs to the George II epoch of silver. Evidently the rich and varied styles extended to Scotland. The same impulses influenced both nations before the union; in date this is 1746. This is marked with the makerâ€™s initials, E. O., and the assay masterâ€™s initials, H. G. (Hugh Gordon); there is, in addition, the mark of the castle and the date letter R. The baluster ornament is in almost acorn form. The top withits perforated design is always a pleasing feature in casters. The floriated ornament in this example is of fine character.EARLY GEORGE III COFFEE-POT. EDINBURGH, 1769.Height 12Â¹/â‚„ in. Maker Patrick Robertson.(Marks illustratedp. 405.)(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)The year 1746 is a notable one in Scottish history. In 1745 the Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, dear to memory in Scotland, landed. â€œCharlie is my darlinâ€™â€ was a forbidden tune at Balmoral as late as the reign of Victoria. The entry of the Prince into Edinburgh in 1745 resulted in the defeat of Sir John Cope, and the victorious army invaded England and reached Derby.The year 1746 saw the Battle of Culloden and the defeat of the Pretender. Here is a caster of these romantic days, days that find expression in various romancesâ€”romances that are true to the life. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, was beheaded on Tower Hill for his duplicity. Many great Scottish families tried to sit on both sides of the fence. One son went to the Hanoverian forces and the other to the Stuart invader. Robert Louis Stevensonâ€™sMaster of Ballantraeshows the poignancy of the situation. But England held aloof in 1745. In 1715, when the elder Pretender essayed to claim his own, England was lukewarm, but in 1745 the House of Hanover had become deeply rooted and no leniency was shown to the invaders.The Edinburgh coffee-pot (illustratedp. 321), in date 1769, is a delightful piece. It was made by Patrick Robertson; the marks are illustratedp. 405. This was in the early George III period. In this year was published the first of the â€œLetters of Junius,â€ an acrid attack on the Government in thePublic Advertiseron behalf of John Wilkes, the demagogue. This year saw the birth of English Radicalism. Wilkes was elected as member for Middlesex for the fourth time, but Parliament declared his opponent, Colonel Luttrell, at the bottom of the poll, to be elected. The meaning of the motto â€œWilkes and Libertyâ€ is thus understood.This coffee-pot of those days claims recognition by reason of its beauty of form. The spout with dragon head is graceful and original. The handle, in ebony, follows the broken curves of the period, the cone-top and the somewhat elongated foot and narrow base to the body proclaim the contemporary style.The tea-urn of 1778 (illustratedp. 325), also made by Patrick Robertson, is marked with the castle of Edinburgh, the Thistle standard mark, the date letter Z, and the makerâ€™s initials P. R. It is a beautiful piece in classic style, with fluted oviform body; it is decorated at summit and base with acanthus ornament. It has flat scroll handles with delicate beaded ornament. On tall fluted foot with bold spreading terminals, it stands on square base decorated with classic chasing. It is as classic as Princes Street, Edinburgh. It is delightfully Scottish, and represents the northern Athens as exemplified in the minor art of the silversmith. It is just prior to the days of Sir Walter Scott, the â€œWizard of the North,â€ who has charmed Scot and southron alike by his magic spell.TEA-URN. EDINBURGH, 1778.Maker, Patrick Robertson. Marked with castle, PÂ R, thistle, and date letter Z.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)This is a very meagre exposition of the art of the silversmith in Scotland, but space does notpermit of further details in a volume of this size. In the examination of Scottish silver one is confronted with so much that is excellent. The subject is like Scottish poetry; one turns to the anthology of Sir George Douglas and one finds a race of nightingales.

SCOTTISH SILVER

The ancient history of the silversmithsâ€™ craft in Scotlandâ€”Peculiarities in markingâ€”The standard mark of the Thistle introduced in 1759 (Edinburgh), the Lion rampant (Glasgow) in 1819.

Thestudy of Scottish silver is a special one. Its manufacture and the statutes governing the goldsmiths and silversmiths extend back to the fifteenth century. The chief centres of marking and assaying were primarily Edinburgh and latterly Glasgow in addition. But it is remarkable how many towns and burghs assayed silver. In comparison with England the manufacture of silver plate seems to have covered a wider area in Scotland. Examples are extant showing that Dundee assayed silver as early as the seventeenth century, with the town mark of the two-handled pot with lilies, and the same mark was used in the late nineteenth century. Perth had its lamb and the flag, emblem of St. John. Aberdeen had the letters ABD; Elgin had ELN; Banff had BA; and Inverness had INS, or its mark of a camel. This is enough, meagre though it be, to indicate that the identification of Scottish silver requiresno little close study into the records covering an intricate field, and many marks unattributed to any special place are believed to be Scottish in origin.

Of the Scottish silver-plate, illustrated in this chapter, it may be said that, whenever possible, details are given of the peculiarities of marking to enable the student to familiarize himself with the differences in comparison with English silver. The assay masterâ€™s initials, the makerâ€™s initials, and the date letter are an array of letters possibly puzzling to the beginner.

The quaich (illustratedp. 313) was made at Edinburgh in 1705. The maker was Robert Inglis, and the assay master, James Penman. The marks are illustratedp. 405. These old vessels were used for drinking spirits, and the two handles denote that, like the English loving-cup, they were passed around. They are not used over this side of the border. They are sometimes made of hard dark wood, and possibly their origin may be traced to Scandinavian forms. The Dutch have similar vessels. In the Willet-Holthuysen Museum at Amsterdam there is a silver brandy- or loving-cup with ears in form like the Scottish quaich or quaigh. This is of the first half of the seventeenth century. It measures 9 centimetres in height by 11 centimetres in width. The side of the cup is divided into six embossed parts, each encircling an engraved medallion of four symbolic figuresâ€”Faith, Justice, Science, and Labour. All these are surrounded by medallions in Renaissance style: the well-known conventional dragons, garlands of flowers, and cherubsâ€™ heads. The handles are also ornamented.â€œIt is a truly Dutch sweetly pretty little thing,â€ says Frans Coenen, the curator, the author of a brochure on the collection, â€œand seems to have been made on purpose to be held by a strong, powerful fist at the festive board. And festive boards were of frequency in the days of the Great Republic, when the merry cup went round with snapdragon, or even brandy pure and undiluted, as a kind of English loving-cup. And the ladies partook as well as the gentlemen. Neither did they refuse the weed which cheers but not inebriates.â€ The author laments that this form has disappeared from use in Holland. â€œIn course of time,â€ he says, â€œbitters and gin took the place of brandy, and the pretty vessel degenerated into a characterless bottle or jug, which in its turn was replaced by the teapot.â€

SUGAR-CASTER. EDINBURGH, 1746.Marked with Makerâ€™s mark, EÂ O, and Assay Masterâ€™s initials HÂ G (Hugh Gordon), castle, and date Letter R.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

SUGAR-CASTER. EDINBURGH, 1746.

Marked with Makerâ€™s mark, EÂ O, and Assay Masterâ€™s initials HÂ G (Hugh Gordon), castle, and date Letter R.

(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

The quaich illustrated, in date 1705, exhibits the purity of design of the early years of the eighteenth century. It belongs to the year prior to the appointment of a commission to arrange the terms of union between England and Scotland. In 1707 this was legally effected. The United Kingdom was to be called Great Britain. There was to be one Parliament for the United Kingdom, in which Scotland was to be represented by forty-five members in the Commons and sixteen peers in the Upper House. The Union Jack was to be the flag of Great Britain.

The cup with the flat handle, or â€œlugâ€ as it is termed in Scotland, level with the brim, was sometimes of more ornamental form, with six spheroidal sides, and the handles were chased. There is alsothe â€œbleeding-cupâ€ used by barber-surgeons so freely in the late seventeenth and eighteenth century. There is a specimen of this class of silver vessel, diminutive in character, at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The marks for the year 1698 are taken from this bowl (seep. 373).

A quaich made by Thomas Moncur at Glasgow in 1665 sold in 1909 for Â£408, at 560s. per oz.

On the same page as the quaich is illustrated a mug, in date 1790. It is the other end of the century from the simple quaich. It marks the beginning of decadent styles; the overloaded ornament, the want of subtle suggestiveness in the design, shows that the nineteenth century was at hand. It has an interest as being contemporary with Robert Burns.Tam Oâ€™Shanterwas written in this year.

To this year belongs Burkeâ€™sReflectionson the French Revolution, which work had a great influence in turning English opinion against the revolutionists. Many replies were published to refute Burke, the most important being theRights of Manby Thomas Paine.

The sugar-caster (illustratedp. 317) belongs to the George II epoch of silver. Evidently the rich and varied styles extended to Scotland. The same impulses influenced both nations before the union; in date this is 1746. This is marked with the makerâ€™s initials, E. O., and the assay masterâ€™s initials, H. G. (Hugh Gordon); there is, in addition, the mark of the castle and the date letter R. The baluster ornament is in almost acorn form. The top withits perforated design is always a pleasing feature in casters. The floriated ornament in this example is of fine character.

EARLY GEORGE III COFFEE-POT. EDINBURGH, 1769.Height 12Â¹/â‚„ in. Maker Patrick Robertson.(Marks illustratedp. 405.)(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

EARLY GEORGE III COFFEE-POT. EDINBURGH, 1769.

Height 12Â¹/â‚„ in. Maker Patrick Robertson.

(Marks illustratedp. 405.)

(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

The year 1746 is a notable one in Scottish history. In 1745 the Young Pretender, Charles Edward Stuart, dear to memory in Scotland, landed. â€œCharlie is my darlinâ€™â€ was a forbidden tune at Balmoral as late as the reign of Victoria. The entry of the Prince into Edinburgh in 1745 resulted in the defeat of Sir John Cope, and the victorious army invaded England and reached Derby.

The year 1746 saw the Battle of Culloden and the defeat of the Pretender. Here is a caster of these romantic days, days that find expression in various romancesâ€”romances that are true to the life. Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, was beheaded on Tower Hill for his duplicity. Many great Scottish families tried to sit on both sides of the fence. One son went to the Hanoverian forces and the other to the Stuart invader. Robert Louis Stevensonâ€™sMaster of Ballantraeshows the poignancy of the situation. But England held aloof in 1745. In 1715, when the elder Pretender essayed to claim his own, England was lukewarm, but in 1745 the House of Hanover had become deeply rooted and no leniency was shown to the invaders.

The Edinburgh coffee-pot (illustratedp. 321), in date 1769, is a delightful piece. It was made by Patrick Robertson; the marks are illustratedp. 405. This was in the early George III period. In this year was published the first of the â€œLetters of Junius,â€ an acrid attack on the Government in thePublic Advertiseron behalf of John Wilkes, the demagogue. This year saw the birth of English Radicalism. Wilkes was elected as member for Middlesex for the fourth time, but Parliament declared his opponent, Colonel Luttrell, at the bottom of the poll, to be elected. The meaning of the motto â€œWilkes and Libertyâ€ is thus understood.

This coffee-pot of those days claims recognition by reason of its beauty of form. The spout with dragon head is graceful and original. The handle, in ebony, follows the broken curves of the period, the cone-top and the somewhat elongated foot and narrow base to the body proclaim the contemporary style.

The tea-urn of 1778 (illustratedp. 325), also made by Patrick Robertson, is marked with the castle of Edinburgh, the Thistle standard mark, the date letter Z, and the makerâ€™s initials P. R. It is a beautiful piece in classic style, with fluted oviform body; it is decorated at summit and base with acanthus ornament. It has flat scroll handles with delicate beaded ornament. On tall fluted foot with bold spreading terminals, it stands on square base decorated with classic chasing. It is as classic as Princes Street, Edinburgh. It is delightfully Scottish, and represents the northern Athens as exemplified in the minor art of the silversmith. It is just prior to the days of Sir Walter Scott, the â€œWizard of the North,â€ who has charmed Scot and southron alike by his magic spell.

TEA-URN. EDINBURGH, 1778.Maker, Patrick Robertson. Marked with castle, PÂ R, thistle, and date letter Z.(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

TEA-URN. EDINBURGH, 1778.

Maker, Patrick Robertson. Marked with castle, PÂ R, thistle, and date letter Z.

(At Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh.)

This is a very meagre exposition of the art of the silversmith in Scotland, but space does notpermit of further details in a volume of this size. In the examination of Scottish silver one is confronted with so much that is excellent. The subject is like Scottish poetry; one turns to the anthology of Sir George Douglas and one finds a race of nightingales.

XIIIRISH SILVERCASTER. DUBLIN, 1699.Maker, George Lyng. (Marks illustratedp.Â 409.)LOVING-CUP, WITH HARP HANDLES. CORK,c.1694.Maker, Robert Goble. (Marks illustratedp. 409.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

IRISH SILVER

CASTER. DUBLIN, 1699.Maker, George Lyng. (Marks illustratedp.Â 409.)

CASTER. DUBLIN, 1699.

Maker, George Lyng. (Marks illustratedp.Â 409.)

LOVING-CUP, WITH HARP HANDLES. CORK,c.1694.Maker, Robert Goble. (Marks illustratedp. 409.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

LOVING-CUP, WITH HARP HANDLES. CORK,c.1694.

Maker, Robert Goble. (Marks illustratedp. 409.)

(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

CHAPTER XIIIRISH SILVERThe ancient art of the silversmithâ€”The seventeenth centuryâ€”The inventiveness and originality of the Irish craftsmanâ€”Eighteenth-century marksâ€”The figure of Hiberniaâ€”The Harp and Crownâ€”The Potato or Dish Ring.Thereis no doubt that the art of the goldsmith and silversmith was practised at a very early period in Ireland, as the various ornaments discovered in excavation clearly prove. There is something characteristic in this early Irish metal work, as especially noteworthy in its ripe and accomplished art as is the illumination in the Book of Kells. Old records show that goldsmiths were working in Dublin in the thirteenth century, though there is no mention of the actual formation of a guild or company till 1498. Apparently these early records do not determine what marks were in use. It is not till 1605 that mention is made of a makerâ€™s mark and a town mark on Dublin plate. In 1637 a charter was granted to the goldsmiths of Dublin by Charles I, and it was laid down that no gold or silver was to be of less fineness than the standard of England. From 1638 onwards there appears to havebeen a date letter, though in some cases its use was erratic, the same stamp being used for succeeding years.In 1729 the Irish Parliament enacted that plate should be assayed by the assay master and bear the makerâ€™s stamp, the harp crowned, and the date letter. In 1730, by the order of the Commissioners of Excise, a fourth stamp was added, the figure of Hibernia, to denote that the duty had been paid. In 1807 the sovereignâ€™s head was ordered to be placed on all plate as a duty mark, and the figure of Hibernia was allowed to remain, so that till 1890, when the duty was taken off silver, the two duty marks ran together. But Hibernia may be regarded as a hall-mark, though that was not its original purpose.The city of Cork never had a date letter. Prior to 1715 the city arms, a ship in full sail between two castles, was used together with the makerâ€™s mark, which latter embodied some heraldic device. Later the only mark used at Cork was the makerâ€™s initials and the wordSterling, or the wordDollar; this took the place of the town mark. The official guide to the Irish metal work at the Dublin Museum, to which we are indebted for much information, states that â€œImmense quantities of silver were manufactured in Cork during the eighteenth century, but comparatively little remains at the present day, most of it having been melted down as the fashions changed.â€CENTREPIECE. DUBLIN, 1740.Maker, Robert Calderwood.(The design of a Potato Ring by same maker is shown on cover of this volume.)[Transcriber's Note: The design did not appear on the cover of this edition.](At the Metropolitan Museum, New York.)The word â€œdollarâ€ alludes to the silver that was used for plate, much of it being obtained from Spanish dollars. This is parallel to the usage on the coinage. The word â€œPortobelloâ€ is found onEnglish silver coined about the year 1739 from silver taken at Portobello by Admiral Vernon; and the word â€œLimaâ€ on George II gold coins, signifying that they were from bullion captured from the Spaniards at that place. Anneâ€™s guineas, of 1703, have the word â€œVigo,â€ relating to Sir George Rookeâ€™s captures. At the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, silver coins were so scarce that Spanish dollars were made legal tender with the head of George III stamped on them.In the early nineteenth century the Dublin marks appear added to the Cork markSterling. The following are among some of the Cork marks found:Sterlingand makerâ€™s mark, C. T. (Carden Terry) about 1780.Sterlingand makerâ€™s markCÂ TIÂ W(Carden Terry and John Williams), about 1800.And there is Robert Goble, 1694, a piece of whose delightful work we illustrate with marks; the Cork mace at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a specimen of beautiful craftsmanship, is marked with the Cork castle and ship, and the letters R. G. There is also Jonathan Buck, 1764, and a fine cream-jug of his superb work is illustrated (p. 339).Besides Dublin and Cork there were other places at which silver was assayed and marked: at Limerick, in the seventeenth century, with the mark of thefleur-de-lis; Youghal in the seventeenth century, with the town mark of a single-masted ship. In 1783 a small village near Waterford, termed New Geneva, owing to a company of Geneva watch-makers having settled there, had an assay office fora few years, mainly for watch-cases. The harp was used in their mark. Clonmel, Waterford, Mullinger, Kinsale, Kilkenny, and Drogheda all made plate which was assayed at Dublin.The oldest piece of Irish hall-marked plate now existing is a flagon in Trinity College, Dublin, bearing the Dublin hall-mark for 1638.The caster (illustratedp. 331) is in date 1699, and bears the Dublin hall-marks for that year and the makerâ€™s initials G. L. (George Lyng). Marks illustratedpage 409. This example is interesting as showing the type of art existing contemporary with English work. The grace and elegance of this caster stamp it as being the work of a practised artist, and though doubtless English fashions did affect the class of articles made, the native skill in the subtle use of ornament and the perfection of symmetry was in strong evidence across the Irish Channel.A loving-cup with two handles, in harp form, was made by Robert Goble, of Cork, about 1694, (illustratedp. 331). These cups are peculiarly Irish and were made nowhere else, except when the English silversmith or the Sheffield plateworker copied them. The harp to this day has remained symbolic of Erin, and Beleek teacups of delicate egg-shell porcelain sometimes have a harp handle.Throughout the eighteenth century a great number of these two-handled harp cups were made. They have a fine bold form and evidently fulfil the object for which they were made. The marks as shown in the specimen illustrated are usually at the top of the body near the rim.CREAM-JUG. CORK, 1764.Fine chased and repoussÃ© work. Signed under lip, â€œJonathan Buck, 1764.â€(Marks illustratedp. 409.)CREAM-JUG. DUBLIN,c.1740.Maker, John Hamilton. Finely chased and embossed decoration.(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)In the year 1740, when Frederick of Prussia seized the rich country of Silesia, young Oliver Goldsmith sat at the feet of his schoolmaster, that old soldier of fortune, Thomas Byrne, who had served with our army in Spain. He listened to â€œthe exploits of Peterborough and Stanhope, the surprise of Monjuich, and the glorious disaster of Brihuega,â€ and he lent an ear to the stories of â€œthe great Rapparee chiefs, Baldearg Oâ€™Donnell and galloping Hogan.â€ At fifteen he entered Trinity College, Dublin, as a poor scholar. To-day he rests on College Green, one of Irelandâ€™s proud monuments. At this date the silversmith was doing great things; the Metropolitan Museum at New York has a fine centre-piece of these far-off days. It will be seen in the illustration (p. 335) to what refinement the art of the Dublin silversmith had attained. The maker is Robert Calderwood, and in such a specimen claims recognition for craftsmanship of a very high order. His mark is R. C. with a small crown between the letters, and his work is always prized by collectors.A cream-jug, made by John Hamilton, of Dublin about the same date (illustratedp. 339), may be compared, to the advantage of the Irish craftsmen, with work of the same period wrought in England or Scotland. There is a suggestion in the handle of the old harp design of the loving-cup, but the rich chasing and exquisite ornamentation of the body exhibit the finest touches of the silversmithâ€™s art.On the same page a fine cream-jug made by Jonathan Buck of Cork, in 1764, is illustrated, and the marks are given onpage 409. It is minutelysigned in full under the lip, â€œJonathan Buck, 1764.â€ The mark has a buck in a shield. The handle in this piece still lovingly adheres to the harp form, delightfully adapted to this graceful vessel. We may conjecture that this was a wedding gift to some bride, as the figures of the goddess Venus and Cupid are in fine relief. Such an example is unique with its elaborate chased and repoussÃ© work.The cream-pail (illustratedp. 343) is of Dublin make, about 1770. There is strong classic influence. The drapery, the medallion rosette, and the key pattern of the incised work, all tell of the prevailing fashion. It is as classic as the doorways on the Quays at Dublin. But there is a robustness in Irish classicism which establishes it as something not merely copied as a prevailing fashion but embodied in the handiwork of the craftsman. Perhaps the Latinity of the old faith imparted a cosmopolitan kinship to the metal-workers and carvers and art craftsmen of Ireland. They always realized to the full continental fashions when the wave of importation reached their shores. The delights of Gallic or Italian artists became at once acclimatized.The potato ring or dish stand is a form of Irish silver not made elsewhere. They were rings of metal upon which old Oriental bowls were placed to prevent the hot vessel injuring the polished surface of the mahogany table. They were possibly used later to support wooden bowls for holding potatoes. Genuine Irish examples are always circular. They belong to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Bowl and dish were synonymous terms in those days,hence they are sometimes called â€œDish Rings.â€ There are three types: (1) The plain pierced. (2) Pierced work, ornamented with flowers and birds and pastoral scenes. (3) Basket work formed of round wire twisted, or flat square wire strips interlaced.CREAM-PAIL. DUBLIN,c.1770.Maker, Will Hughes. Contemporary ladle by another maker.(Marks illustratedp. 409.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)On the cover of this volume is illustrated an example of a typical Irish dish ring, kindly lent by Messrs. Carrington & Co. [Transcriber's Note: This illustration did not appear on the cover of this edition.] This is in date about 1760, the last year of the reign of George II. The maker is Robert Calderwood. It is representative of the pierced type, having exquisite chased work with birds and flowers. Such pieces are only found, as a rule, in well-known private collections or on the shelves of museum cases. The year before it was fashioned in Dublin, General Wolfe had captured Quebec, and in September 1760 Montreal had capitulated, completing the conquest of Canada.The following Makersâ€™ Marks will be of interest to those possessing old Irish silver as of use in determining dates of Dublin silver; and specimens bearing these initials are to be seen in the Dublin Museum:â€”1655, D. B. (Daniel Bellingham); 1657, I. S. (John Slicer); 1680, W. L. (Walter Lewis); 1715, J. T. (John Tuite); 1716, J. W. (Joseph Walker); 1717, I. H. (John Hamilton); 1724, M. W. (Matthew Walker); 1725, I. S. (John Sterne); 1743, R. H. (Robert Holmes); 1748, W. W. (William Williamson); 1748, W. K. (William Knox); 1750, C. S. (Christopher Skinner); 1760, G. B. (George Beere); 1763, I. L. (John Laughlin); 1765, S. W. (Stephen Walsh); 1765, W. T. (W. Townshend); 1770, D. K. (DarbyKehoe); 1771, C. H. (Capel Harrison); 1772, T. L. (Thomas Lilly); 1773, C. T. (Charles Townshend); 1775, T. J. (Thomas Jones); 1776, R. W. (Robert Williams); 1780, I. N. (John Nicklin); 1790, W. L. (William Law); 1802, R. B. (Robert Breading); 1819, I. L. B. (James le Bas).SALE PRICESPOTATO OR DISH RINGS.Large prices have been paid for these examples of Irish silver with scroll work, pastoral scenes, fruit, and flower subjects, and pierced trellis decoration.They realize prices varying from Â£50 to Â£250, and fine early examples bring even more. The following prices have been given for examples: 1757, Â£129; 1760, 230s. per oz., Â£98; 1772, 188s. per oz., Â£136; 1786, 200s. per oz., Â£164.

IRISH SILVER

The ancient art of the silversmithâ€”The seventeenth centuryâ€”The inventiveness and originality of the Irish craftsmanâ€”Eighteenth-century marksâ€”The figure of Hiberniaâ€”The Harp and Crownâ€”The Potato or Dish Ring.

Thereis no doubt that the art of the goldsmith and silversmith was practised at a very early period in Ireland, as the various ornaments discovered in excavation clearly prove. There is something characteristic in this early Irish metal work, as especially noteworthy in its ripe and accomplished art as is the illumination in the Book of Kells. Old records show that goldsmiths were working in Dublin in the thirteenth century, though there is no mention of the actual formation of a guild or company till 1498. Apparently these early records do not determine what marks were in use. It is not till 1605 that mention is made of a makerâ€™s mark and a town mark on Dublin plate. In 1637 a charter was granted to the goldsmiths of Dublin by Charles I, and it was laid down that no gold or silver was to be of less fineness than the standard of England. From 1638 onwards there appears to havebeen a date letter, though in some cases its use was erratic, the same stamp being used for succeeding years.

In 1729 the Irish Parliament enacted that plate should be assayed by the assay master and bear the makerâ€™s stamp, the harp crowned, and the date letter. In 1730, by the order of the Commissioners of Excise, a fourth stamp was added, the figure of Hibernia, to denote that the duty had been paid. In 1807 the sovereignâ€™s head was ordered to be placed on all plate as a duty mark, and the figure of Hibernia was allowed to remain, so that till 1890, when the duty was taken off silver, the two duty marks ran together. But Hibernia may be regarded as a hall-mark, though that was not its original purpose.

The city of Cork never had a date letter. Prior to 1715 the city arms, a ship in full sail between two castles, was used together with the makerâ€™s mark, which latter embodied some heraldic device. Later the only mark used at Cork was the makerâ€™s initials and the wordSterling, or the wordDollar; this took the place of the town mark. The official guide to the Irish metal work at the Dublin Museum, to which we are indebted for much information, states that â€œImmense quantities of silver were manufactured in Cork during the eighteenth century, but comparatively little remains at the present day, most of it having been melted down as the fashions changed.â€

CENTREPIECE. DUBLIN, 1740.Maker, Robert Calderwood.(The design of a Potato Ring by same maker is shown on cover of this volume.)[Transcriber's Note: The design did not appear on the cover of this edition.](At the Metropolitan Museum, New York.)

CENTREPIECE. DUBLIN, 1740.

Maker, Robert Calderwood.

(The design of a Potato Ring by same maker is shown on cover of this volume.)

[Transcriber's Note: The design did not appear on the cover of this edition.]

(At the Metropolitan Museum, New York.)

The word â€œdollarâ€ alludes to the silver that was used for plate, much of it being obtained from Spanish dollars. This is parallel to the usage on the coinage. The word â€œPortobelloâ€ is found onEnglish silver coined about the year 1739 from silver taken at Portobello by Admiral Vernon; and the word â€œLimaâ€ on George II gold coins, signifying that they were from bullion captured from the Spaniards at that place. Anneâ€™s guineas, of 1703, have the word â€œVigo,â€ relating to Sir George Rookeâ€™s captures. At the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, silver coins were so scarce that Spanish dollars were made legal tender with the head of George III stamped on them.

In the early nineteenth century the Dublin marks appear added to the Cork markSterling. The following are among some of the Cork marks found:Sterlingand makerâ€™s mark, C. T. (Carden Terry) about 1780.Sterlingand makerâ€™s mark

CÂ TIÂ W

(Carden Terry and John Williams), about 1800.

And there is Robert Goble, 1694, a piece of whose delightful work we illustrate with marks; the Cork mace at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a specimen of beautiful craftsmanship, is marked with the Cork castle and ship, and the letters R. G. There is also Jonathan Buck, 1764, and a fine cream-jug of his superb work is illustrated (p. 339).

Besides Dublin and Cork there were other places at which silver was assayed and marked: at Limerick, in the seventeenth century, with the mark of thefleur-de-lis; Youghal in the seventeenth century, with the town mark of a single-masted ship. In 1783 a small village near Waterford, termed New Geneva, owing to a company of Geneva watch-makers having settled there, had an assay office fora few years, mainly for watch-cases. The harp was used in their mark. Clonmel, Waterford, Mullinger, Kinsale, Kilkenny, and Drogheda all made plate which was assayed at Dublin.

The oldest piece of Irish hall-marked plate now existing is a flagon in Trinity College, Dublin, bearing the Dublin hall-mark for 1638.

The caster (illustratedp. 331) is in date 1699, and bears the Dublin hall-marks for that year and the makerâ€™s initials G. L. (George Lyng). Marks illustratedpage 409. This example is interesting as showing the type of art existing contemporary with English work. The grace and elegance of this caster stamp it as being the work of a practised artist, and though doubtless English fashions did affect the class of articles made, the native skill in the subtle use of ornament and the perfection of symmetry was in strong evidence across the Irish Channel.

A loving-cup with two handles, in harp form, was made by Robert Goble, of Cork, about 1694, (illustratedp. 331). These cups are peculiarly Irish and were made nowhere else, except when the English silversmith or the Sheffield plateworker copied them. The harp to this day has remained symbolic of Erin, and Beleek teacups of delicate egg-shell porcelain sometimes have a harp handle.

Throughout the eighteenth century a great number of these two-handled harp cups were made. They have a fine bold form and evidently fulfil the object for which they were made. The marks as shown in the specimen illustrated are usually at the top of the body near the rim.

CREAM-JUG. CORK, 1764.Fine chased and repoussÃ© work. Signed under lip, â€œJonathan Buck, 1764.â€(Marks illustratedp. 409.)

CREAM-JUG. CORK, 1764.

(Marks illustratedp. 409.)

CREAM-JUG. DUBLIN,c.1740.Maker, John Hamilton. Finely chased and embossed decoration.(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

CREAM-JUG. DUBLIN,c.1740.

Maker, John Hamilton. Finely chased and embossed decoration.

(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

In the year 1740, when Frederick of Prussia seized the rich country of Silesia, young Oliver Goldsmith sat at the feet of his schoolmaster, that old soldier of fortune, Thomas Byrne, who had served with our army in Spain. He listened to â€œthe exploits of Peterborough and Stanhope, the surprise of Monjuich, and the glorious disaster of Brihuega,â€ and he lent an ear to the stories of â€œthe great Rapparee chiefs, Baldearg Oâ€™Donnell and galloping Hogan.â€ At fifteen he entered Trinity College, Dublin, as a poor scholar. To-day he rests on College Green, one of Irelandâ€™s proud monuments. At this date the silversmith was doing great things; the Metropolitan Museum at New York has a fine centre-piece of these far-off days. It will be seen in the illustration (p. 335) to what refinement the art of the Dublin silversmith had attained. The maker is Robert Calderwood, and in such a specimen claims recognition for craftsmanship of a very high order. His mark is R. C. with a small crown between the letters, and his work is always prized by collectors.

A cream-jug, made by John Hamilton, of Dublin about the same date (illustratedp. 339), may be compared, to the advantage of the Irish craftsmen, with work of the same period wrought in England or Scotland. There is a suggestion in the handle of the old harp design of the loving-cup, but the rich chasing and exquisite ornamentation of the body exhibit the finest touches of the silversmithâ€™s art.

On the same page a fine cream-jug made by Jonathan Buck of Cork, in 1764, is illustrated, and the marks are given onpage 409. It is minutelysigned in full under the lip, â€œJonathan Buck, 1764.â€ The mark has a buck in a shield. The handle in this piece still lovingly adheres to the harp form, delightfully adapted to this graceful vessel. We may conjecture that this was a wedding gift to some bride, as the figures of the goddess Venus and Cupid are in fine relief. Such an example is unique with its elaborate chased and repoussÃ© work.

The cream-pail (illustratedp. 343) is of Dublin make, about 1770. There is strong classic influence. The drapery, the medallion rosette, and the key pattern of the incised work, all tell of the prevailing fashion. It is as classic as the doorways on the Quays at Dublin. But there is a robustness in Irish classicism which establishes it as something not merely copied as a prevailing fashion but embodied in the handiwork of the craftsman. Perhaps the Latinity of the old faith imparted a cosmopolitan kinship to the metal-workers and carvers and art craftsmen of Ireland. They always realized to the full continental fashions when the wave of importation reached their shores. The delights of Gallic or Italian artists became at once acclimatized.

The potato ring or dish stand is a form of Irish silver not made elsewhere. They were rings of metal upon which old Oriental bowls were placed to prevent the hot vessel injuring the polished surface of the mahogany table. They were possibly used later to support wooden bowls for holding potatoes. Genuine Irish examples are always circular. They belong to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Bowl and dish were synonymous terms in those days,hence they are sometimes called â€œDish Rings.â€ There are three types: (1) The plain pierced. (2) Pierced work, ornamented with flowers and birds and pastoral scenes. (3) Basket work formed of round wire twisted, or flat square wire strips interlaced.

CREAM-PAIL. DUBLIN,c.1770.Maker, Will Hughes. Contemporary ladle by another maker.(Marks illustratedp. 409.)(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

CREAM-PAIL. DUBLIN,c.1770.

Maker, Will Hughes. Contemporary ladle by another maker.

(Marks illustratedp. 409.)

(By courtesy of Messrs. Harris & Sinclair, Dublin.)

On the cover of this volume is illustrated an example of a typical Irish dish ring, kindly lent by Messrs. Carrington & Co. [Transcriber's Note: This illustration did not appear on the cover of this edition.] This is in date about 1760, the last year of the reign of George II. The maker is Robert Calderwood. It is representative of the pierced type, having exquisite chased work with birds and flowers. Such pieces are only found, as a rule, in well-known private collections or on the shelves of museum cases. The year before it was fashioned in Dublin, General Wolfe had captured Quebec, and in September 1760 Montreal had capitulated, completing the conquest of Canada.

The following Makersâ€™ Marks will be of interest to those possessing old Irish silver as of use in determining dates of Dublin silver; and specimens bearing these initials are to be seen in the Dublin Museum:â€”

1655, D. B. (Daniel Bellingham); 1657, I. S. (John Slicer); 1680, W. L. (Walter Lewis); 1715, J. T. (John Tuite); 1716, J. W. (Joseph Walker); 1717, I. H. (John Hamilton); 1724, M. W. (Matthew Walker); 1725, I. S. (John Sterne); 1743, R. H. (Robert Holmes); 1748, W. W. (William Williamson); 1748, W. K. (William Knox); 1750, C. S. (Christopher Skinner); 1760, G. B. (George Beere); 1763, I. L. (John Laughlin); 1765, S. W. (Stephen Walsh); 1765, W. T. (W. Townshend); 1770, D. K. (DarbyKehoe); 1771, C. H. (Capel Harrison); 1772, T. L. (Thomas Lilly); 1773, C. T. (Charles Townshend); 1775, T. J. (Thomas Jones); 1776, R. W. (Robert Williams); 1780, I. N. (John Nicklin); 1790, W. L. (William Law); 1802, R. B. (Robert Breading); 1819, I. L. B. (James le Bas).

POTATO OR DISH RINGS.

Large prices have been paid for these examples of Irish silver with scroll work, pastoral scenes, fruit, and flower subjects, and pierced trellis decoration.They realize prices varying from Â£50 to Â£250, and fine early examples bring even more. The following prices have been given for examples: 1757, Â£129; 1760, 230s. per oz., Â£98; 1772, 188s. per oz., Â£136; 1786, 200s. per oz., Â£164.

Large prices have been paid for these examples of Irish silver with scroll work, pastoral scenes, fruit, and flower subjects, and pierced trellis decoration.

They realize prices varying from Â£50 to Â£250, and fine early examples bring even more. The following prices have been given for examples: 1757, Â£129; 1760, 230s. per oz., Â£98; 1772, 188s. per oz., Â£136; 1786, 200s. per oz., Â£164.

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