First Duke of Portland's Tablespoon

While researching another piece of silver, I found James Garrard's 1893 catalogue of the Duke of Portland's plate.  The catalogue contains descriptions of each piece of silver in the Duke's collection, together with a section of plates depicting the arms, crests, and other engravings found on the silver.  While looking through the plates, I had one of those "aha" moments where it struck me that I had a spoon engraved with a set of the arms shown.  Below are the arms on my spoon.

The spoon was made in 1721, but the maker's mark is rubbed.  A scratch weight of 2=11 is engraved on the spoon heel.  I had assumed incorrectly that the arms were those of the Most Royal Noble of the Garter.  Looking through the catalogue, in the section Antique Spoons and Forks, I saw entry number 551 for "Table Spoons. Three rat-tail, Old English pattern.  Plate XXII, No. 5.  A.D. 1721. Weight, 6.5 oz."  Plate XXII, No. 5 depicts the same arms that appear above on my spoon.  Given that the date and arms match, is it too much to conclude that my spoon is one of the trio listed in this catalogue?

Even if it's not, it seems fairly clear that this spoon did belong to the Duke of Portland, and specifically to Henry Bentinck, the first Duke.  After having been a Member of Parliament, Henry was appointed captain and colonel of the First Troop of Horse Guards on July 21, 1710.  By letters patent on July 6, 1716, Henry was created Duke of Portland and Marquis of Tichfield (Henry had received his wife Lady Elizabeth Noel's share of the Tichfield estate upon their marriage in 1704), and was in 1717 created one of the Lords of the Bedchamber.  Despite having inherited prosperous estates, Henry lost a lot of money in the South Sea Bubble in 1720.  On September 9, 1721, he was appointed captain general and governor of Jamaica, and he arrived in Spanish Town on December 22, 1722, just after a hurricane had devastated the island.  He died in Jamaica at age 45 of a fever on July 4, 1726.

It would appear that Henry had these spoons (and presumably other plate) made to take with him when he was appointed Governor of Jamaica.  What I am not certain of is if Henry received a plate allocation from the Jewel House, or if he paid for the silver himself.  The scratch weight leads me to believe it was government-issued, but the scratch weight could also have been applied during a later inventory.

Sources:

Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 33, 1722-1723. Ed. Cecil Headlam. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1934. British History Online. Web. 13 April 2020.

 
Collins, Arthur. Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical. Vol. II. F.C. and J. Rivington, 1812. Google Books. Web. 13 April 2020.

The English Encyclopaedia: Being a Collection of Treatises, and a Dictionary of Terms, Illustrative of the Arts and Sciences. Vol. V. G. Kearsley, 1802. Google Books. Web. 13 April 2020.

 

Queen Anne Four-Tined Dognose Forks, 1705

At an auction a few years ago I purchased a group of four dognose forks, a pair and two singles.  I was most interested in the two singles: one dating to 1701 with arms for Frowde and the four-tined fork bearing the mark of Pierre Harache and the date letter for 1705.  You can read more about the four forks here.  Below are photographs of the four-tined fork.

Fast forward a few years, and I found a set of eight four-tined dognose forks for sale, all but two of them with the date letter for 1705, two bearing the maker's mark for Pierre Harache, four with that of Benjamin Watts, and two which I believe bear Continental marks.  Later matching crests were engraved on all of the forks.  On one of the Harache forks, I could see remnants of the thick sausage-like torse that seemed to match that on my fork, and the dognose terminals on the Harache forks were shaped like mine.

When I received the forks, it was pretty obvious that the two Harache forks from the set of eight were made at the same time as the one I already had. Below are the three Harache forks:

Below is a photograph of one of the forks bearing Benjamin Watts' mark.

The forks with what I believe to be Continental marks:

And, finally, a shot of the set of eight forks:

In the photograph above of the eight forks, it's easy to see the difference in terminal shape between the first and third forks from the left (the Harache forks) and the other forks.  The Watts forks' terminals more closely resemble the terminals on the Continental forks, which appear as the last pair of forks on the right in the photo above.  It's a shame about the later crests.  I wonder if the Watts and Harache forks were made for the same customer in 1705?  Did the Harache and Watts workshops have a working relationship?

Trio of 1712 Tablespoons Reunited

In an earlier post of mine, which you can find here, I described how I found a pair teaspoons to match one I already owned.  The same thing happened again to me recently.  Five and a half years ago, I purchased a great pair of tablespoons from 1712 with rubbed makers marks and arms engraved to the back of the handle.  Just last month, I found two more of these spoons from a different seller, which sent a wave of excitement through me.  I was not successful in my bid for one of them (damn you ebay snipers!), but I did manage to get the second one.  Below are photographs of the three spoons:

Front and back of trio of tablespoons.  The newest addition is the one on the right in the right-hand photograph.

Hallmarks on the tablespoons for London 1712 with rubbed maker's mark. 

Arms on all three spoons for Weld.

The date letter for 1712, the lion's head erased, and Britannia are all fairly well-struck, or at least easily identifiable.  The maker's marks are, however, very worn.  What is visible in each mark, but not so easily visible in the photograph, is a star, and on one spoon there appear to be two stars in the maker's mark.  Of course, one would hope this could be the mark for Willaume, but sadly we'll never know.

The arms to the back of the spoon handle, as far as I can tell, are for the family of Weld of Lulworth Castle in Dorset.  It is my opinion the arms are original to the spoons' manufacture and the initials "MT" were added later by heirs of the original owners.  There are a couple of Thomas Welds who married Marys.  Or does "MT" refer to a subsequent single owner without the Weld surname? 

It's always exciting to find spoons that match ones you have, and it's a reminder that silver collecting is a long game and always surprising.

Sources:

Burke, John. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland.  Vol. I. London: R. Bentley, 1833. Google Books. Web. 8 Feb. 2019.

Provincial Silver Rattail Teaspoons? Please Help!

Hello, and a very happy 2019 to all of you!  I hope it has treated you well so far.

Below are photographs of three rattail  teaspoons I recently purchased.  Two are 11.5 cm, with the third 12 cm, and they are fairly light in weight.  As you can see, the marker's mark "AB" is struck three times on one spoon and once on each of the others.  Is anyone able to help me identify who the maker might be and where they were made?  Thank you very much!

Irish Silver Rattail Teaspoon - But is it Genuine?

I have long been wondering why I have not come across any early Irish rattail teaspoons.  Even knowing that Irish silver wasn't produced in the same numbers as English silver, I still thought I would have seen a few for sale over the years.  Am I simply looking in the wrong places?  Were Irish rattail teaspoons typically unmarked, or marked with the maker's mark only, meaning they are out there, but not of obvious Irish origin?  (Woolley & Wallis had one for sale in 2008 with maker's mark only, which they attributed to Anthony Semirot of Cork.)  Enter Exhibit A below:

I purchased this teaspoon several weeks ago.  Thin and light, with a worn and wonky bowl, it won't be featured on the cover of a book any time soon.  There are no initials or crest, but I also don't see signs of erasure.  The spoon handle is quite narrow, and I'm not sure if this is the way it was made or if it was trimmed down at some later point.

The maker's mark appears to be AL with a pellet between, which I have attributed to Anthony Lefebure.  Jackson's lists "spoon" as articles made by this silversmith, making this attribution slightly less tenuous.  The base of the crown is just visible above the letters.

The spoon is also stamped with the harp crowned and Hibernia.  Jackson's is very helpful, in that it has photographs of the Dublin silver hallmarks beginning with the 1720 date letter in its Appendix 1.  The Hibernia on this teaspoon matches very closely with the photograph of Hibernia depicted for the year 1731. 

So, is this the real deal?  Having been caught out once before buying a piece of fake Irish silver, I'm hoping it's not a case of "fool me twice, shame on me."

Sources:
Pickford, Ian, ed. Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland. 3rd ed., 1989. Woodbridge: 
       The Antique Collectors' Club, Ltd., 2011. Print.

Early Samuel Hitchcock Tablespoon

According to Jackson, Samuel Hitchcock entered his first mark in 1713 (Jackson 164).  Below are photographs of a Hitchcock tablespoon which bears the (rubbed but readable, difficult to photograph) date letter for 1713.

The tablespoon is of a nice, heavy weight and very balanced in the hand.  The initials ME on the back of the spoon probably date to post-1750, so there likely could have been an erasure of earlier initials or a crest, although I don't see signs of it.  Hitchcock entered his first mark in 1713, and I like that this spoon dates to the first year of Hitchcock's career.  There are three teaspoons by Hitchcock also in my collection, which you can read about here.

Sources:
Pickford, Ian, ed. Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland. 3rd ed., 1989. Woodbridge: 
       The Antique Collectors' Club, Ltd., 2011. Print.

Irish (?) Teaspoon of Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry

Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry

The Honorable Frederick Hervey (1730-1803) was ordained as a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1754, became a clerk of the Privy Seal in 1756, and was appointed a Royal Chaplain in 1763.  The Honorable and Reverend Frederick Hervey then undertook an extensive Grand Tour, and during his travels in Europe he further developed his passion for art.  In 1767, he was elected Bishop of Cloyne, and the following year he was translated as Lord Bishop of Derry.  Bishop Hervey succeeded to the title of the 4th Earl of Bristol in 1779.  Lord Bristol was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1782 for his scientific exploration of Giant's Causeway, and received the Freedom of the City of Dublin and of Derry the next year. 

Below are photographs of a teaspoon which I believe belonged to Lord Bristol sometime after 1779, since it is engraved with both a bishop's mitre and the Earl of Bristol's crest.

The maker's mark, struck twice, appears to be CS, but I am having a difficult time finding a match to a silversmith.  Is this an Irish or an English maker?

Lord Bristol was said to have a fiery personality.  He favored religious equality, and financially supported construction of churches of other denominations.  He was also very political for a time, becoming active in the Irish Volunteer Movement and proposing in 1783, at a Volunteer National Convention in Dublin, legislative independence for the Irish Parliament.  This landed him in hot water and almost got him arrested by the British Government.  Hervey was an industrious and vigilant bishop, spending large sums of money building roads, bridges, and developing agricultural enterprise in his diocese and the city of Derry.  The Earl-Bishop took a lively interest in architecture and built homes at Downhill and Ballyscullion which he filled with works of art.  He also commissioned the Italian architect Asprucci to build Ickworth House, photo below, which was completed by his son Frederick in 1830.

Ickworth House (Photo by Squeezyboy on Flickr)

 

In 1752, the Hon. Frederick Hervey married Elizabeth Davers and had four sons and three daughters.  Perhaps their best-known daughter is Elizabeth who was the close friend of Georgiana Cavendish.  "Bess" lived with the Duke and Duchess and was a longtime mistress of the Duke, later becoming his second wife.

If anyone can offer a clue as to the maker of this teaspoon, it would be most appreciated!

Sources:
Blackwood, Loretto. "Early Bishop - Frederick Augustus Hervey."  Web blog post. Earl Bishop  Hervey. Blogger, 7 Oct 2013. Web. 21 Oct 2016.
"Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 13 Dec 2013. Web. 21 Oct 2016.
"Ickworth House." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.  Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Mar 2005. Web. 21 Oct 2016.
 

Charles II Silver Teaspoon

This tea (or coffee?) spoon ticked a few of my collecting boxes: made 300 years before I was born, fully-marked, useful.  The little spoon measures a shade under 3 7/8 inches.  The rattail is very worn on the back of the bowl, and the leading edge of the bowl is slightly curled. 

The teaspoon dates to 1678, and I believe is a bit unusual in that it is fully hallmarked.  In the July/August 2016 issue of The Finial, Granville Gregg poses several questions about English teaspoons, one of which is "When was the first English teaspoon made and by and for whom?"  Eric Delieb, in his Investing in Silver, illustrates a fully-marked Charles II teaspoon bearing the date letter for 1679 (Delieb 18) (which appears to have been most recently sold by Shrubsole). 

Although the maker's mark is not fully visible, it could be IM, a match for which I have not come across in Jackson's, or possibly IK for John King who Jackson identifies as a specialist spoonmaker whose mark is found on spoons between 1667 and 1683 (Jackson 127).

Do any other collectors out there have early fully-hallmarked teaspoons in their collection?

Sources:
Delieb, Eric.  Investing in Silver. New York: Clarkson N. Potter Inc., 1967. Print.
Gregg, Granville. "Musings on Spoon Volumes - Part I." The Finial 26/06 (Jul/Aug 2016). Print. 
Pickford, Ian, ed. Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks of England, Scotland & Ireland. 3rd ed., 1989. Woodbridge: 
       The Antique Collectors' Club, Ltd., 2011. Print.

Help Identifying a Mark on a Trefid Spoon

I am hoping that someone out there will stumble upon this post and be able to help identify the maker's mark on this trefid spoon.  The maker's mark appears to be a chicken head struck three times.  The terminal is dot-pricked MW over 1701.

Any help you can offer would be most appreciated!

Early Silver Dognose Forks

On January 4, 2014, I asked the question: What does a girl have to do to get some Britannia-standard forks?  When I posed my earlier question, I really had "Britannia-standard forks from the Queen Anne period with a Hanoverian terminal" type of forks in mind, but when I came across the four forks below, I found I was quite happy with the dognose terminal.  They are all delightfully heavy and a pleasure to use.  My favorite has to be the four-tined fork, a form that has been on my wish-list for quite some time.

Left to right: maker unknown, 1701; Pierre Harache, 1705; pair, makers mark of Pierre Platel visible on one only, date letter rubbed but appears to be 1714 (which seems somewhat late for the style)

Following are close-ups of the hallmarks and engravings:

Left to right: Mark of Pierre Platel, Pierre Harach, unknown maker.  I particularly like the lion's head erased on the fork on the right.

Crest and arms on forks

The only arms I know anything about are those on the fork pictured above at 6 o'clock.  This fork bears the arms of Frowde with Ashburnham in pretence, for the marriage of Margaret Ashburnham to Sir Philip Frowde.  Margaret was Philip's third wife, and by her had fours sons, Ashburnham, Peter, William and Michael.  Philip died in on August 6, 1674 and is buried in Bath Abbey Church. 


Sir Philip Frowde was appointed as manager of the General Post Office by the Duke of York and acted as agent for its lessee, Katherine, Countess of Chesterfield (Bell 203) during the time of the Great Fire in London of 1666.  In Unknown London, Bell notes that "Frowde and his lady anxiously watched the Fire bearing toward them, and at midnight, when the peril had become grave, they fled for safety" (Ibid.).  This would seem to suggest that Sir Philip and his family lived, at least part of the time, in rooms at the General Post Office.  Sir Philip Frowde's will identifies him as being in possession of the Rectory, or "Sheafe," of Welcombe in Devon and an Adventurer in the African Royal Company (Hooppell 456).



Sources:

Bell, Walter George. Unknown London. John Lane, 1922.  Google Books. Web. 21 September 2016.
Hooppell, Rev. R.E. "The Froudes, or Frowdes, of Devon." Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature, and 
      Art, Vol. XXIV, pp. 441-457. William Brendon and Son, 1892. Google Books. Web. 21 September 2016.

An Erskine Bookplate to Match my Scottish Silver Dessert Spoons

I recently posted an article about a trio of Scottish dessert spoons which had belonged to the Erskine family.  On a trip to the Portobello Market in London, I came across a large stack of bookplates, and when I saw the "Je Pense Plus" motto and the name "James Erskine of Alva Esqr", I couldn't believe it.

James Erskine (1722-1796) was the son of Charles Areskine (the spelling he, but not his children, preferred), and most likely the next owner of the dessert spoons, or perhaps even the one who had the spoons made.  Below is a painting by Francis Lindo of James Erskine with his first wife, Margaret Maguire, and two of their children painted in 1761.  The top of the frame is decorated with the Erskine coat of arms, which matches those on the bookplate.  Lawrence's, the auction house which put the painting up for sale in January of this year, has this to say about James Erskine: "He was appointed Lord of Sessions in Scotland (a senior judiciary role) and took the title Lord Barjarg (named for the family property on this mother's side, later sold) and subsequently changed his name to Lord Alva.  Erskine married Margaret Maguire (1729-1766) in 1749.  They had three children: Charles (1751-1761...), Isabella and John.  After Margaret's death at the age of 37, Erskine married Jean Stirling in 1772 and she bore him a daughter, also called Jean."

Photograph courtesy of the-saleroom.com

The painting below by David Allan hangs in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh, and depicts James Erskine with his second wife, Jean Stirling, and three of his children.  Erskine commissioned the painting in 1780 to commemorate his becoming a founder-subscriber of St. Cecilia's Hall, the new venue for the Music Society of Edinburgh.  According to The National Galleries of Scotland website, James Erskine helped to launch David Allan's career as a portrait and figure painter in the 1760s.  This painting was one of David Allan's first group portraits in the "conversational manner."

Photo courtesy of The National Galleries of Scotland

My short trip to London was wonderful, with the usual regret of "I'll have to save this for next time" being applied to visiting St. Vedast church in Foster Lane to see its collection of church plate, scheduling an appointment to do silver research at Goldsmith's Hall, visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, and spending more time in silver shops.  However, my visit happily coincided with the monthly meeting of the Silver Spoon Club, to which a "silver friend" invited me.  It was so much fun spending an hour or so talking about nothing but silver, but even more fun to meet people I had hitherto only corresponded with and to meet new silver friends.  I was also lucky enough to meet a couple of dealer friends who were absolutely wonderful.  If I didn't have a husband to consider on this trip, I'd still be talking to them.  Next time, I am going for a month.

Forgeries of Peter Ashley-Russell

It never hurts to educate oneself on forgeries that may be lurking out there, as I know all too well myself (see my blog post on my very own piece of fake Irish silver).  So, here is a link to the London Assay Office's publication illustrating Ashley-Russell's "work" including photos of his fake punches and the spoons themselves: http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/media/3751010/ashleyrussell.pdf.

"I Think More": George II Scottish Dessert Spoons

"Je Pense Plus" - "I Think More" - is the motto of the Erskine clan.  The three dessert spoons bearing this crest and motto were made in Edinburgh in 1754 by Lothian & Robertson.  Thanks to Burke's General Armory, it appears this motto, coupled with the crest of "a dexter hand proper, holding a skene in pale argent, hilted and pommelled or, within a garland of olive leaves proper" is for the Erskine family of Tinwald, County Dumfries (320).  I believe Charles Erskine (or Areskine) had these spoons made. Charles Erksine, born in 1680, married Grizel Grierson in 1712, heiress of John Grierson of Barjarg, through whom he acquired the lands of Barjarg in Dumfriesshire.  In August of 1753, he married again to Elizabeth, daughter of William Harestanes of Craigs in Kirkcudbright.  Perhaps Elizabeth had these dessert spoons made shortly after her marriage to Charles.  It is also possible that Charles' son James had these spoons made when he was nominated as one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer in May 1754.  I am choosing, however, to focus on Charles Erskine in this article.  Below is a portrait of Charles Erskine

Photo credit: National Galleries of Scotland

Charles Ereskine was the third son of Sir Charles Erskine of Alva, baronet, and great-grandson of John Erskine, Earl of Mar and treasurer of Scotland.  Charles Erskine had a successful legal career.  In 1700, at the age of 20, Charles Erskine became one of the four regents of Edinburgh University, and in 1707, he became the first professor of public of Law of Nature and Nations at the university.  Following his appointment, he left to study the law in Leiden in the Netherlands (Cairns 334).  He was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland in 1725, served as Lord Advocate between 1737 and 1742, and was Lord Justice Clerk - the second most senior judge in Scotland -  from 1748 until his death in 1763.  In 1744, Charles Erskine was raised to the supreme criminal and civil courts as Lord Tinwald.  Below is a photograph of Tinwald House in Dumfriesshire, built in 1740 and designed by architect William Adam.  Charles Erskine later sold his estates at Tinwald to purchase the family estate of Alva from his nephew, Sir Henry Erskine (345):

© Copyright Colin Kinnear and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

As a lawyer, intellectual, linguist, traveler, a patron of the arts and a book collector, Charles Erskine was in the thick of the Scottish Enlightenment (Baston 1).  He was one of the founding members of the Edinburgh Philosophical Society in 1737, a member of the Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of Agriculture, a member of the Board of Trustees for Fisheries and Manufactures, and an extraordinary Director of the Royal Bank of Scotland (Cairns 345).  Charles Erskine was described by a contemporary as "not only an eminent lawyer and judge, but likewise a polite scholar, and an elegant speaker and writer" (346). 

Following are photographs of the spoons and their hallmarks:

Sources:
Baston, Karen Grudzien. "The Library of Charles Areskine (1680-1763): Book Collecting and Lawyers in Scotland, 1700-1760." The Early Modern Intelligencer. WordPress, 2010. 
        Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Burke, Bernard. The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: Comprising & Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time. Harrison & Sons, 
        1864. Google Books. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Cairns, John. "The Origins of the Edinburgh Law School: The Union of 1707 and the Regius Chair." Edinburgh Law Review, Vol 11, No. 3, pp. 300-48, 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. DOI: 
        10.3366/elr.2007.11.3.300.

Straiton, Doug. "Charles (Erskine) Areskine (1680-1763)." WikiTree. Interesting.com, Inc. 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
 Wikipedia contributors. "Charles Erskine, Lord Tinwald." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 May. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia contributors. "Tinwald House." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Oct. 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Theta Charity Anitques Show, Houston, Texas

Sometimes you need to spend 15 minutes expounding on the beauty of a flared foot on an early Scottish silver mug.  Sometimes you simply need to clutch a Paul de Lamerie dinner plate to your chest as you look at the dealer's other silver.  Sometimes you just need to listen to someone talk about their collecting passion even though it may not be your own.  And sometimes, you need to try on a 4-carat Van Cleef and Arpels diamond ring.  I got to do all of these things and more at the Theta Charity Antiques show in Houston yesterday. 

The early Scottish mug was at Shrubsole.  After having looked at items on their website and in their catalogues for so long, it was a whole new experience getting to see them in the flesh.  Benjamin Miller, Director of Research at Shrubsole, was a lot of fun and indulged my need to hold and discuss several pieces of silver with great enthusiasm.  At one point, he put a ginormous square salver by Paul de Lamerie in my hands which could easily replace dumbells for a bicep workout.  Poor man had a lot of polishing to do after I left.  I was excited to also meet Tim Martin, who was just as personable in person as he is in his emails.  One day soon I will have to visit their shop in New York for more silver fondling and discussion.

I found the Paul de Lamerie dinner plate at a dealer previously unknown to me, The Silver Vault out of Woodstock, Illinois.  The shop does not have a web presence, so I cannot point you to a website.  I quickly saw that Peter Tinkler, one of the owners, shared my enthusiasm and passion for good, old, plain silver and we spent quite a while talking.  Peter's father Rod was also on hand to discuss, among other topics, his thoughts on feminine versus masculine silver and training chickens by whistling, and calling him an absolutely delightful man would be scant praise indeed.  I don't know the last time - if ever - that I have laughed so much when talking about silver.  The dinner plate was made in 1725 and is number 20 in a large set made by de Lamerie for Benjamin Mildmay when he was 19th Baron Fitzwalter.  Mildmay was created Earl Fitzwalter in 1730, and two previous posts of mine - here and here - discuss the inventory of his plate taken in 1739 and work de Lamerie did for him.  The Clark Art Institute has a set of twelve plates by de Lamerie of 1725 from the same set as the Silver Vault plate.  The Fitzwalter plate inventory contains the following entry, and one assumes it must include the 1725 dinner plates:

Paul de Lamerie's work ledgers for Mildmay contain an entry for "To 12 Dishes & 3 Dozen of plates" with entries for the fashioning and engraving of same.  Although the work on the page containing these entries is not dated, the first date on the following page is December 5, 1727, so we can assume the three dozen plates were made prior to this date.  The highest plate number in the Clark Art Institute collection is No. 33, so it is likely these plates and the Silver Vault plate are part of the "3 Dozen of plates" listed in de Lamerie's ledger:

I also had the pleasure of meeting Mary Wise of Grosvenor Antiques, a dealer in antique porcelain.  Although I am not a collector of early English porcelain, I could appreciate the beautiful pieces she had and it was fun to see forms that I am familiar with in silver.  Mary truly has a passion for early porcelain, and her knowledge of her preferred subject was inspiring.

Then, drawn in by the amiability and invitation of dealers Steven Fearnley and David McKeone of J.S. Fearnley to try on jewellery for fun, I tried on a gorgeous cushion-cut diamond ring, an old stone in a newer setting by Van Cleef and Arpels.  And it fit.  Again, Steven was so willing to talk with us and tell us about his pieces.

We had heard about the show from wonderful local dealers of antique jewellery, Bell and Bird, and when we received unsolicited tickets in the mail from Tim Martin, that clinched it.  To meet, talk with, bounce ideas off others who share a passion for antiques is so invigorating, and when it's your area of collecting, so much the better.  Every dealer we spoke with was enthusiastic and genuinely happy to share their knowledge with us.  Thank you to the dealers at the Theta Charity Antiques Show for a wonderful time.

Earl Fitzwalter's Bottle Tickets

Paul de Lamerie's ledger recording the work he did for Earl Fitzwalter has an interesting entry:

"To mending & added Silver to 3 pieces with Chains to hang on Bottles of Wine."  That description sounds an awful lot like a wine label or bottle ticket.  So why not just identify it by one of those names?

The ledger entry is dated March 21, 1737 - which I believe is a Julian calendar date - so, if I have my calculations correct, March 21, 1737 in the Julian calendar corresponds to April 1, 1738 in the Gregorian calendar.  According to the Google Books entry for the book Wine Labels, 1730- 2003: a Worldwide History by John Salter, "silver wine labels first made their appearance in the 1730s to identify the contents of unmarked opaque glass wine bottles."  N.M. Penzer, in his The Book of the Wine-Label, discusses the Plate Offenses Act of 1738, which set forth the mandatory marks to be applied to plate and included an extensive list of items by name or by characteristic not required to be so marked (34-35).  As there is no mention of wine labels or bottle tickets in this list, Mr. Penzer concludes that these items were unknown at this time (35).  What I believe Mr. Penzer to be saying is that, had bottle tickets been common when this Act was written, in his opinion by reason of their smallness and lightness they would not have been required to be hallmarked, and therefore should have appeared by name in the exempt list along with the other specifically-identified items of plate "connected with the bottle." (Id.).    

Unfortunately, I do not have access to a copy of the Wine Labels book to read about or see photographs of these earliest silver wine labels.  What Paul de Lamerie's ledger entry tells me, however, is that in early 1738, bottle tickets - by any name - were likely not very well known, otherwise Lamerie (or his ledger-keeper) would have used that name instead of the description of the item, e.g. "To mending and added silver to three bottle tickets."  This entry is for a repair, so we also know that the Earl's bottle tickets were made prior to 1738.  It's too bad we don't know exactly when, or by whom, they were made.  So, although not completely unknown in 1738, it would seem bottle tickets were sufficiently uncommon for a prominent maker not to be able to record them by name.

Sources:

Essex Records Office: Estate and Family  Records, D/DM F13.
Penzer, N.M. The Book of the Wine-Label. London: Home & Van Thal, 1947. Internet Archive. Web, 10 July 2015.


 

Earl Fitzwalter's Salt Spoons

Recently I purchased a copy of the inventory of the Earl of Fitzwalter's plate taken by his butler, Henry Longmore, on June 22, 1739 from the Essex Records Office.  Among the entries for five dozen plates, the dozens of "forck's" and several candlesticks, is an entry for "4 wrought Salts Spoons" weighing 2 oz 6 dwts, or 71.5 grams.  I tend to think of salt spoons along the lines of Geoffrey Wills's definition in Silver: early 18th century examples that are miniatures of ordinary spoons (130), which would not seem to distinguish them much from snuff spoons.  In a previous post called Snuff Spoons or Early Salt Spoons, I asked just that question: could the small spoons we call snuff spoons also be early salt spoons?  

Below is a photograph of four small spoons in my silver drawer.  The smallest one is 3 1/8 inches and the largest is 3 5/16 inches.  Two of these spoons are "heavy" for their size, but are only about 9 grams each.  The four salt spoons in the Fitzwalter inventory weigh in at almost 17.9 grams apiece.  Those seem to be some pretty heavy salt spoons.

 

Below is an excerpt from Longmore's inventory showing the entry for the Salts Spoons.  Note also the listing for the mustard spoon weighing 9 pennyweights, or 14 grams.

Does anyone know of any early Irish salt/snuff spoons?  Along with early Irish rattail teaspoons, I have not seen any early Irish salt/snuff spoons.  Early Irish salt trenchers exist (see the photographs in my previous post on my visit to the San Antonio Museum of Art) - though I don't see nearly as many as English examples - so one would assume that early Irish salt spoons also existed at one time.  Same for early Irish rattail teaspoons: there are early Irish tea pots, leading one to believe that teaspoons were made early on, as well.

Sources:

Essex Records Office: Estate and Family  Records, D/DM F12.

Wills, Geoffrey.  Silver: for pleasure and investment. New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1969. Print.

George III Irish Silver Bowl - *GASP* It's a FAKE!

~Below is my original post on the bowl.  After posting it, I received a nice note from a reader letting me know this bowl is a fake.  At the end of this post is more information on the faker~

Below is an Irish silver bowl that dates to 1798 in the reign of George III.  Although the bowl is later than I normally collect, it reminds me of earlier forms.  It measures 4 1/8 inches in diameter (10.5 cm) and 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) in height, is of heavy gauge, and is plain with a lovely hammered finish.

Strawberries.  Yum.

The maker's mark on the bowl is IE surrounded by pellets.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to attribute this mark to a silversmith.  The only Dublin maker's mark of IE referenced by Douglas Bennett that fits the date of the bowl is James England, who worked from 1791-1815 (167).  However, James England's punch is not surrounded by pellets.

Does anyone have an idea who this maker is?

I believe this would have been used as a sugar bowl.  Or could it have been a waste bowl?  

Hallmarks on bowl

UPDATE: IT'S A FAKE!! After a tipster let me know this bowl was a fake, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, but I also had this thought: "I thought it was not quite right!".  I like the bowl, it was not expensive, but before and after buying it, something about it nagged me.  It didn't seem to fit the design of sugar bowls of the 1790s in Ireland.  However, I brushed away the nagging feeling and bought it anyway without doing as much research as I should have.  

A friend of mine reminded me that this faker is dealt with by Bennett in his Collecting Irish Silver.  About the faker, Bennett has this to say: "'IE' is well known to both the London and Dublin assay offices, where examples of his work are kept for reference. (Do they want mine?)  Many an antique dealer has been caught out with these marks, and the only clue that can be offered is to watch out for the distinctive maker's mark of 'IE' with small beads encircling the initials" (242).

Distinctive maker's mark, indeed.  Has anyone else fallen into IE's trap?

Sources:

Bennett, Douglas. Collecting Irish Silver. London: Souvenir Press Ltd., 1984. Print.

Visit to the Irish Silver at the San Antonio Museum of Art

Recently I made my annual birthday pilgrimage to see the fantastic collection of Irish silver at the San Antonio Museum of Art.  I usually find myself alone in the silver room, so I can take my time going from case to case, talking to myself and pressing my nose against the display cases.  Though I have visited this collection several times, the joy and awe and excitement I feel on seeing the silver is never diminished.  There are just so many darn good pieces to look at.

While the silver itself is stunning, the way it is displayed could be more so.  Drawbacks include poor lighting; all of the natural light has been blocked out and the overhead bulbs seem to be aimed on some pieces at the worst angle possible.  There is crackling and waving to the plexiglass of one display case in particular (where the 17th century slip top spoon resides) which distorts the objects in the case.  And, the pieces would benefit greatly from a polish (for which I eagerly volunteer my services!).  The silver could also be more imaginatively displayed.  For instance, since there are four matching salts made by John Hamilton, at least one of the salts could be displayed to enable the viewer to see the hallmarks.  Same for the pair of salts by Henry Daniel.  Using mirrors and magnifiers would also allow visitors to see hallmarks and engraving.  Negatives aside, Mr. Rowan's collection of Irish silver was once again an absolute joy to visit.

Unlike my visit there this time last year, I remembered to take some photographs, though not by any means very good photographs.  I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Clockwise from upper left: Chocolate pot by David King, c. 1713; Set of three casters by Thomas Bolton, 1708/09; Slip top spoon, 1655/56; Pair of tapersticks by Thomas Bolton, c. 1710

Clockwise from upper left: Herb or small teapot, Matthew West, c. 1775; Covered sugar bowl by Peter Racine, 1736/37; Teapot by Bartholomew Mosse 1736/37; Covered cream jug by William Homer, c. 1760

Clockwise from upper left: Pair of mugs by Thomas Walker, c. 1730; Sugar bowl by William Clarke, Cork, c. 1730; Punch strainer by Anthony Stanley, 1715/16; Snuffers (by Peter Gervais) and tray (by Thomas Walker), 1717/18

Clockwise from upper left: Four racing prize horseshoes by James Le Bas, 1843/44; Pair of spurs by William Law, c. 1780; Octofoil salver by John Hamilton, 1717/18; Butter piggin, James Fry for Alderman West, 1825/26

Two pairs of salts by John Hamilton, c. 1730; One of a pair of salts by Henry Daniel, 1715/16; Dressing table box by Joseph Walker, 1717/18; Pair of toilet boxes by Thomas Bolton, 1699/1700

Top: Selection of freedom boxes.  Bottom: Box with pair of tea canisters and sugar box by Ambrose Boxwell, c. 1770