Lamerie Friday

Realistically, this will most likely be the one and only Lamerie Friday for me, unless a) I magically find a piece of Paul de Lamerie hidden amongst the junk at Goodwill; or b) my husband goes completely insane and lets me spend more of our house remodeling money on silver.  While I wait for either of these possibilities to occur, here's a look at the little Lamerie piece I am lucky enough to have:

Tea bowl, London, 1736, Paul de Lamerie.  Toby the cat is in the background.

It's a tea bowl.  Made of silver.  That's right, it is a completely impractical vessel from which to drink the hot beverage it was intended for, since, as we know, silver is a brilliant conductor of heat.  So I use it for port.


Here are the gorgeous hallmarks:

I found this little cup at an antiques fair, and as soon as I held it in my hand it was all over.  The feel of it is just amazing.  I was literally shaking.  Nothing else at the fair had the same effect on me, not the beautiful gold and turquoise vintage David Webb ring, not the Asscher cut diamond bracelet, not the little impressionist beach scene.  Beautiful, simple silver just does it for me.  That's what I think I love best about the tea bowl: its simplicity.  It is so plain and utilitarian looking that on first glance one would not know it came from the workshop of one of the finest silversmiths.  But the incredible workmanship and the weight of the cup make it obvious that it is a piece of quality.

Was this tea bowl originally part of a pair, or a larger set?  If so, do those others survive?

Here's one last shot of the tea bowl: