I found some back issues of The Finial that discuss early examples of the Hanoverian pattern, previously written about on this blog here. In the November/December 2007 issue (3), Mr. Christopher Meade wrote in about a spoon which he dates to 1702/1703 with a Hanoverian terminal, and asks for readers' feedback. Mr. David Whitbread (15), Mr. Walter Brown (16), and Mr. Mark Nevard (17) responded in the January/February 2008 issue. Finally, in the March/April 2008 issue, Mr. Richard Jonas provided a photograph of a Hanoverian-pattern single-ended marrow scoop with the date letter for 1708 (13).
Sources:
---. The Finial 18/03 (Jan/Feb 2008): 15-17. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.
---. The Finial 18/04 (Mar/Apr 2008): 13. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Irish Silver Freedom Box
Here is the second piece of silver to fall outside the time periods prescribed by this blog - an Irish silver freedom box made by James Kennedy in Dublin, circa 1776:
The box measures 3 1/8 inches in diameter and is 1 1/4 inches high with a weight of 4 oz 6 dwts. The presentation inscription on the bottom of the box reads:
The Corporation of Weavers Unanimously present their Grateful Thanks to their Worthy Brother Gorges Lowther Esq.r in Approbation of his Uniform and truly Patriotic Conduct in Parliament: and his Laudable Endeavours to promote the Manufactures of Ireland. Dublin, 1st April 1776.
The box is hallmarked to the underside of the lid, the inside of the base, and to the side of the box with the harp crowned, the maker's mark I K for James Kennedy, and Hibernia. As was typical for much of the latter part of the 18th century, the box is lacking a date letter.
The side of the box is engraved with the names of the Master, George Fuller, and the Wardens, William Arnold and Henry Williams. William Cotter Stubbs' article "Weavers' Guild" lists the names of the masters and wardens of the Weavers Guild, and shows that George Fuller was master in 1774 and 1775, with William Arnold and Henry Williams as wardens for the latter year (85). Mr. Stubbs also mentions that the swearing in of new officers of the Guild took place on May 1 each year, so George Fuller's tenure as Master would have ended May 1, 1776, just shortly after the dedication date on the box (62).
According to Leigh Rayment's website, Gorges Lowther was an Irish Member of Parliament, sitting for Ratoath from 1739 until 1760, and for Meath from May 1761. Gorges Lowther was born November 5, 1713 and died February 21, 1792. MJP Grundy's study of the Lowther family makes a very intriguing Jane Austen connection: one of Gorges Lowther's great-granddaughters, Maud Lowther, married a Thomas Legh. Mr. Legh owned Lyme Park in Shropshire, which served as the home of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 Colin Firth BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. But I digress.
James Kennedy appears to have been a prolific maker of Irish freedom boxes. Several freedom boxes by him are in the John V. Rowan collection of Irish silver at the San Antonio Museum of art, including a gold one engraved with the arms of New Ross. You can see another example of a freedom box presented by the Corporation of Weavers here.
In the afore-mentioned article, Mr. Stubbs states: "In the second half of the eighteenth century the honorary freedom of the Guild was conferred upon a number of distinguished persons, on account of their position in the State, their services in Parliament, or their support of the trade and manufactures of the country" (78). According to the inscription on the box, Gorges Lowther was granted freedom of the Guild for the latter two reasons. What Mr. Lowther's "Uniform and truly Patriotic Conduct in Parliament" was or what his "Laudable Endeavours" were and how they promoted "the Manufactures of Ireland" I suppose is lost to history.
Sources:
Grundy, MJP. "Lowther." Paxson Family.
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, 2007. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Rayment, Leigh. "Irish House of Commons 1692-1800." Leigh Rayment's
Peerage Page. Leigh Rayment, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Stubbs, William Carter. "Weavers' Guild." The Journal of the Royal Society
of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series 9.1 (30 Jun. 1919): 60-88. JSTOR.
Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
 |
| Irish silver freedom box, Dublin, James Kennedy, c. 1776 |
The Corporation of Weavers Unanimously present their Grateful Thanks to their Worthy Brother Gorges Lowther Esq.r in Approbation of his Uniform and truly Patriotic Conduct in Parliament: and his Laudable Endeavours to promote the Manufactures of Ireland. Dublin, 1st April 1776.
 |
| Inscription on base of freedom box |
The box is hallmarked to the underside of the lid, the inside of the base, and to the side of the box with the harp crowned, the maker's mark I K for James Kennedy, and Hibernia. As was typical for much of the latter part of the 18th century, the box is lacking a date letter.
 |
| Hallmarks on freedom box |
The side of the box is engraved with the names of the Master, George Fuller, and the Wardens, William Arnold and Henry Williams. William Cotter Stubbs' article "Weavers' Guild" lists the names of the masters and wardens of the Weavers Guild, and shows that George Fuller was master in 1774 and 1775, with William Arnold and Henry Williams as wardens for the latter year (85). Mr. Stubbs also mentions that the swearing in of new officers of the Guild took place on May 1 each year, so George Fuller's tenure as Master would have ended May 1, 1776, just shortly after the dedication date on the box (62).
 |
| Master and Wardens |
According to Leigh Rayment's website, Gorges Lowther was an Irish Member of Parliament, sitting for Ratoath from 1739 until 1760, and for Meath from May 1761. Gorges Lowther was born November 5, 1713 and died February 21, 1792. MJP Grundy's study of the Lowther family makes a very intriguing Jane Austen connection: one of Gorges Lowther's great-granddaughters, Maud Lowther, married a Thomas Legh. Mr. Legh owned Lyme Park in Shropshire, which served as the home of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 Colin Firth BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. But I digress.
James Kennedy appears to have been a prolific maker of Irish freedom boxes. Several freedom boxes by him are in the John V. Rowan collection of Irish silver at the San Antonio Museum of art, including a gold one engraved with the arms of New Ross. You can see another example of a freedom box presented by the Corporation of Weavers here.
In the afore-mentioned article, Mr. Stubbs states: "In the second half of the eighteenth century the honorary freedom of the Guild was conferred upon a number of distinguished persons, on account of their position in the State, their services in Parliament, or their support of the trade and manufactures of the country" (78). According to the inscription on the box, Gorges Lowther was granted freedom of the Guild for the latter two reasons. What Mr. Lowther's "Uniform and truly Patriotic Conduct in Parliament" was or what his "Laudable Endeavours" were and how they promoted "the Manufactures of Ireland" I suppose is lost to history.
 |
| Lid of freedom box |
Sources:
Grundy, MJP. "Lowther." Paxson Family.
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com, 2007. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Rayment, Leigh. "Irish House of Commons 1692-1800." Leigh Rayment's
Peerage Page. Leigh Rayment, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Stubbs, William Carter. "Weavers' Guild." The Journal of the Royal Society
of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series 9.1 (30 Jun. 1919): 60-88. JSTOR.
Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Friday, January 17, 2014
What is the Earliest Example of the Hanoverian Pattern?
I was recently re-reading parts of Michael Clayton's Christie's Pictorial History of English and American Silver. The following sentence in the "Queen Anne and George I" section caught my attention: "The rat-tail rib on the back of the plain bowled spoon survived, but the dog-nose finial gave way to the rounded 'Hanoverian' by about 1705 and the fork handle conformed" (100). From general reading and observation, I had thought this date to be a few years later than 1705. Of course, that date is qualified with an "about." The book itself pictures a Hanoverian terminal "gravy spoon" by Issac Davenport dated 1707 (130). Since date letters changed in May each year, the spoon could date to as late as May 1708.
A web search returned an article titled "Early English Silver Spoons," which I believe was written by Theo Hecker. The article is part two on this topic, and is an illustrated discussion of the stylistic evolution of the English silver spoon. Mr. Hecker lists a Hanoverian pattern spoon dating to 1708 by Andrew Archer (1).
A perusal of the Early Spoons section of the Coritani website shows that the earliest Hanoverian terminal spoon listed is a tablespoon by George Cox of 1711. There is also a dognose spoon on the site of the same date. Christie's lists an Irish basting spoon by Joseph Walker which they date to 1706. I believe this date letter was used up until 1708. Christie's further lists a set of eight Hanoverian tablespoons, maker's mark AR from 1708 (no image available). There is an intriguing lot, again from the Christie's archives, of "three various Queen Anne silver spoons" dated 1702, 1704 and circa 1705. The first two spoons are described as trefid-ended and the third, circa 1705, as Hanoverian pattern. It is too bad there is not an image available of these spoons. Christie's also lists a basting spoon of 1707, probably by David Willaume I ( no image available); a Queen Anne Hanoverian dessert fork by William Juson of 1706 (no image available); and a Queen Anne basting spoon in the Hanoverian pattern by Isaac Davenport of 1702 (this early date is very interesting - makes me question the accuracy of that date, but no image is available for study). Silfren's archive lists another basting spoon by John Ladyman (a silversmith close to my heart) dated to 1708. The Christie's archive lists several more Hanoverian pattern basting spoons and tablespoons dating to 1709.
The earliest spoon from my own collection is by Joseph Barbut dating to 1709/1710:
One feature that sets this spoon apart from the other Britannia-standard Hanoverian pattern spoons in my collection is the distinctive ridge that begins just at the base of the bowl. This ridge flattens out somewhat as the handle widens.
There is obviously no hard date for the transition from dognose terminal to Hanoverian, and it is clear from looking through books and dealer and auction websites that there is considerable overlap between the two styles. There seem to be more early Hanoverian pattern basting spoon examples out there than tablespoons, and I was only able to find one Hanoverian pattern spoon associated with the date 1705, and that was a "circa." Michael Clayton did, however, make a conscious decision to use the date 1705, so I would assume it was because he had seen an example of a spoon with a Hanoverian terminal that actually dated to 1705.
Did households mix and mingle dognose pattern spoons and forks with the newer Hanoverian pattern? Did they sell or have their dognose flatware melted down and fashioned into something else once the Hanoverian pattern had taken over?
Sources:
Clayton, Michael. Christie's Pictorial History of English and American Silver.
Oxford: Phaidon Christie's Limited, 1985. Print.
Hecker, Theo. "English Silver Spoons, Part Two." Projekt Rosenberg IV.
Piranho, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
A web search returned an article titled "Early English Silver Spoons," which I believe was written by Theo Hecker. The article is part two on this topic, and is an illustrated discussion of the stylistic evolution of the English silver spoon. Mr. Hecker lists a Hanoverian pattern spoon dating to 1708 by Andrew Archer (1).
A perusal of the Early Spoons section of the Coritani website shows that the earliest Hanoverian terminal spoon listed is a tablespoon by George Cox of 1711. There is also a dognose spoon on the site of the same date. Christie's lists an Irish basting spoon by Joseph Walker which they date to 1706. I believe this date letter was used up until 1708. Christie's further lists a set of eight Hanoverian tablespoons, maker's mark AR from 1708 (no image available). There is an intriguing lot, again from the Christie's archives, of "three various Queen Anne silver spoons" dated 1702, 1704 and circa 1705. The first two spoons are described as trefid-ended and the third, circa 1705, as Hanoverian pattern. It is too bad there is not an image available of these spoons. Christie's also lists a basting spoon of 1707, probably by David Willaume I ( no image available); a Queen Anne Hanoverian dessert fork by William Juson of 1706 (no image available); and a Queen Anne basting spoon in the Hanoverian pattern by Isaac Davenport of 1702 (this early date is very interesting - makes me question the accuracy of that date, but no image is available for study). Silfren's archive lists another basting spoon by John Ladyman (a silversmith close to my heart) dated to 1708. The Christie's archive lists several more Hanoverian pattern basting spoons and tablespoons dating to 1709.
The earliest spoon from my own collection is by Joseph Barbut dating to 1709/1710:
 |
| Front and back of tablespoon, Joseph Barbut, London, 1709 |
 |
| Close-up of hallmarks on Barbut spoon; ridge on front of stem |
There is obviously no hard date for the transition from dognose terminal to Hanoverian, and it is clear from looking through books and dealer and auction websites that there is considerable overlap between the two styles. There seem to be more early Hanoverian pattern basting spoon examples out there than tablespoons, and I was only able to find one Hanoverian pattern spoon associated with the date 1705, and that was a "circa." Michael Clayton did, however, make a conscious decision to use the date 1705, so I would assume it was because he had seen an example of a spoon with a Hanoverian terminal that actually dated to 1705.
Did households mix and mingle dognose pattern spoons and forks with the newer Hanoverian pattern? Did they sell or have their dognose flatware melted down and fashioned into something else once the Hanoverian pattern had taken over?
Sources:
Clayton, Michael. Christie's Pictorial History of English and American Silver.
Oxford: Phaidon Christie's Limited, 1985. Print.
Hecker, Theo. "English Silver Spoons, Part Two." Projekt Rosenberg IV.
Piranho, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Pair of Irish Silver Octofoil Salvers
Several years ago, I visited the Irish silver collection at the San Antonio Museum of Art. The silver was donated to the museum by John V. Rowan, Jr., a native Texan born in San Antonio, and is a fantastic collection comprised of beautiful and unique pieces. Some items that stood out to me were the strawberry dish by Henry Danell c. 1724, the covered cream jug by William Homer c. 1760, the covered sugar bowl by Joseph Walker of 1717/1718, and the octofoil salver by John Hamilton of 1718/1719. In The Genius of Irish Silver: a Texas Private Collection, the salver is described as being engraved with the arms of Dawson, Castle Dawson, County Kerry with a scratch weight of 32:1 and a diameter of 11 7/8 inches (Davis 19, 33). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any information on this family.
I recently purchased Christopher Hartop's book Geometry and the Silversmith: the Domcha Collection. In it, he describes the geometry of the octofoil salver as "the intersection of four ellipses with common centre" (15). When looking at silver, I note that a caster base might be octagonal, a salver circular or square, trencher salts rectangular with canted corners, a candlestick base hexagonal. However, I don't think I was ever really conscious of the geometry and math that goes into the craft of silversmithing.
Not long after my visit to the museum, I came across a salver on Firestone and Parson's website that looked identical to the one in the museum. The salver with Firestone and Parson is, however, unmarked, but bears the same armorial and is listed as being 12 inches in diameter. One would have to assume that these salvers are indeed a pair, and were ordered and made as such. The mystery is how and when these salvers became separated. That is a story I would love to know.
Note: See further information on this salver from my blog posting on a later visit to the San Antonio Museum of Art: Irish Silver in San Antonio, Texas
Sources:
Davis, John D. The Genius of Irish Silver: a Texas Private Collection.
Williamsburg: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1991; San Antonio:
The San Antonio Museum of Art, 1993. Print.
Hartop, Christopher. Geometry and the Silversmith: The Domcha Collection.
Cambridge: John Adamson, 2008. Print.
I recently purchased Christopher Hartop's book Geometry and the Silversmith: the Domcha Collection. In it, he describes the geometry of the octofoil salver as "the intersection of four ellipses with common centre" (15). When looking at silver, I note that a caster base might be octagonal, a salver circular or square, trencher salts rectangular with canted corners, a candlestick base hexagonal. However, I don't think I was ever really conscious of the geometry and math that goes into the craft of silversmithing.
Not long after my visit to the museum, I came across a salver on Firestone and Parson's website that looked identical to the one in the museum. The salver with Firestone and Parson is, however, unmarked, but bears the same armorial and is listed as being 12 inches in diameter. One would have to assume that these salvers are indeed a pair, and were ordered and made as such. The mystery is how and when these salvers became separated. That is a story I would love to know.
Note: See further information on this salver from my blog posting on a later visit to the San Antonio Museum of Art: Irish Silver in San Antonio, Texas
Sources:
Davis, John D. The Genius of Irish Silver: a Texas Private Collection.
Williamsburg: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1991; San Antonio:
The San Antonio Museum of Art, 1993. Print.
Hartop, Christopher. Geometry and the Silversmith: The Domcha Collection.
Cambridge: John Adamson, 2008. Print.
Friday, January 10, 2014
George III Tot Cup
What, you ask, is a piece of George III silver doing on a blog that purports to report on silver from the Queen Anne, George I, and George II periods? Well, my friends, this will be the first of a handful of such anomalies. I purchased this little cup from a dealer here in the States for what I would consider a very good price. What attracted me to it was its useful small size, and I could see myself alternating this little cup with my Lamerie cup for drinking port. The cup is on a spreading foot and has a leaf-capped double scroll handle. It is made by William Caldecott and dates to 1763, and measures just under 2 1/2 inches to the top of the handle with a weight of 2.05 troy ounces. It is engraved under the foot with the initials S H. I love the way the handle is attached to the rim so neatly.
Another thing that drew me to this little cup was the hand-written calling card that accompanied it. The card is an invitation to play tennis, croquet, and ping pong after three o'clock. I love it! On the back of this card is a history of the cup: "Little cup said by Aunt Dudley to be the only piece of silver saved by the Crook family after the British took Newport during the Revolution." It appears as if the cup belonged to a Mary, but unfortunately I have no further information on her, Aunt Dudley or the Crook family.
Perhaps one day I will find out more about the original owners of the cup. In the meantime, I enjoy it as a piece of English silver with an American history and a tie to our Revolution. Cheers!
 | |
| George III tot cup, London, William Caldecott, 1763 |
 |
| Interior of tot cup and hallmarks |
 |
| Calling card accompanying tot cup |
Saturday, January 4, 2014
What Does a Girl Have to do to Get Some Britannia-Standard Forks?
Seriously, where are they? Spoons in Britannia silver are relatively easy to find, but I have not had the same experience with forks. Am I not looking hard enough? Are Britannia-standard forks that rare? Thus far, I own a set of two from 1711 by Andrew Archer. They are a really nice pair of forks, but I need more.
I have one other three-pronged fork, but the hallmarks are so worn it is impossible to tell if it is Britannia-standard. My suspicion is that it is not. The fork, however, is very heavy and chunky, and I like the coat of arms to the front. The reverse of the terminal is engraved with a crest that was used by the Austen family, which I mentioned in an earlier post, but I harbor no illusions that this fork belonged to Jane Austen's family.
If any of you has the inside scoop on where to buy Britannia-standard forks that are in good condition and have good hallmarks, would you please let me know? Thanks!
 |
| Pair of forks, London, 1711, Andrew Archer |
 |
| Silver fork, hallmarks worn |
Friday, January 3, 2014
Small Flatware
Happy new year to all (three) of my readers! I hope 2014 is full of blessings for you. Part of what I'd like to do this year is to go to England and Ireland and visit with some of the lovely dealers I have bought from or would like to buy from, and hopefully have some good old-fashioned chats about silver. Sometimes it's difficult buying from a website, especially hollowware, since I don't have much experience with it and as a consequence don't really know what a certain type of piece should really feel or look like, or how to detect accurately if a piece has been altered. Meeting with dealers who have experience and actually holding a piece in my hand will undoubtedly be a good education.
I love Britannia-standard rattail teaspoons. At the risk of sounding girly, they are just so cute. There aren't many yet in my collection, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that that will change on January 9, when I find out if my bids in The Finial auction came out on top. I'll keep you posted. By the way, if you are not a member of The Finial, I would recommend it as a New Year's resolution to become one.
Here are the three teaspoons in my collection:
The measurements of the teaspoons, from left to right, are 4 5/8 inches, 4 1/8 inches, and 4 5/8 inches. Note the similarities in the more rounded terminals of the two Ladyman teaspoons, as well as their similar bowl shapes. The two Ladyman teaspoons are also heavier in proportion to the Hitchcock teaspoon, the largest Ladyman teaspoon being especially heavy and well-made. Here is a close-up of the hallmarks:
Note the lion's head erased mark on the spoon on the right. It looks like it is in a shield-shaped punch, which I have not seen before.
Dessert spoons are also pieces of small flatware that I make great use of. Ice cream tastes especially nice off of these:
These were the first non-Hanoverian terminal spoons I purchased, and I really do love this little set of spoons. Yes, the hallmarks are worn, yes, the rattails are worn, but to me they are wonderful. They measure 6 1/4 inches in length.
Finally, who doesn't need dessert forks? Pie, zucchini bread, brownies, angel food cake, etc. I found these with a dealer here in the States, and although they aren't Britannia-standard, I couldn't pass them up:
The forks measure 6 1/4 inches. They are heavy, and have a very good feel in the hand, making them pleasant to use.
What small flatware do you have in your collection?
I love Britannia-standard rattail teaspoons. At the risk of sounding girly, they are just so cute. There aren't many yet in my collection, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that that will change on January 9, when I find out if my bids in The Finial auction came out on top. I'll keep you posted. By the way, if you are not a member of The Finial, I would recommend it as a New Year's resolution to become one.
Here are the three teaspoons in my collection:
 |
| From left to right: teaspoons by John Ladyman, John Ladyman, Samuel Hitchcock |
Note the lion's head erased mark on the spoon on the right. It looks like it is in a shield-shaped punch, which I have not seen before.
Dessert spoons are also pieces of small flatware that I make great use of. Ice cream tastes especially nice off of these:
 |
| Set of six dessert spoons, London, 1702, John Ladyman |
Finally, who doesn't need dessert forks? Pie, zucchini bread, brownies, angel food cake, etc. I found these with a dealer here in the States, and although they aren't Britannia-standard, I couldn't pass them up:
 |
| Set of six dessert forks, London, 1736, maker's mark IS |
What small flatware do you have in your collection?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)