Caring for Silver

Posted on June 13, 2023August 9, 2024 by Jenny Knott

Six simple rules to keep your silver in top condition

Rule one

Caring for your silver starts with understanding a little about the properties of silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and therefore only 7.5% alloy. Compare this with 9 carat gold which is 37.5% gold and 72.5% alloy, or even 18 carat gold which is 75% gold. Silver, therefore, which is not an inherently hard metal, is extremely vulnerable to scratching. According to the Mohs scale which measures the hardness of materials; in order of softness, you have sterling silver, 9 carat gold, 18 carat gold, platinum and palladium. Rule number one is therefore to avoid cleaning with anything even slightly abrasive. I prefer pastes and foams which you apply with warm water.

Rule two

Given that silver is a soft metal, you also need to be careful not to bend it or make it vulnerable to dents. For example, it is common to see legs of sauce boats pushed in. Splits can also occur around the edges of pieces so rule number two is to always handle your silver ware with care, remembering that the lighter and thinner it is the more vulnerable it will be to damage.

Rule three

Can you put silver in the dishwasher? I would say that the answer is yes. However, rule number three – do not load silver and stainless steel in the same compartment or where they might touch. This will lead to oxidation and oxidation is what causes silver to tarnish or blacken. For those who think I am a philistine to suggest that it is acceptable to wash silver in the dish washer I would say this – the method of dish washing is no more likely to damage the silver than washing by hand. Drying silver is as likely, if not more so, to remove some of the silver and cause rubbing. If you’ve ever noticed that hallmarks have become obscure and difficult to read this is because polishing or cleaning has worn down the surface.

Whilst we are on the subject of dish washers, if you have bone handled knives, do not put them in the dishwasher. They will dry out, crack and the pitch that holds the blades in place my seep out. Knives should always be washed by hand.

Rule four

Oxidisation is the principal cause of tarnishing, so rule number four is to adhere to following suggestions to minimise the chances of your silver tarnishing. The less you have to polish it, the less likely that you will be rubbing away the silver itself. The first suggestion is use your silver. Most silverware will be cleaned after using and frequent light cleaning will be much kinder on your silver than trying to remove heavy tarnish.

If you do need to store your silver, store in a dry place away from high temperatures. Both heat and humidity accelerate the rate at which silver tarnishes. If you are storing flatware, use special tarnish reducing storage bags or for bulkier items, acid free tissue paper. Do not use newspaper as the ink is acidic and can cause damage. The same goes for rubber bands. Tempting though it may be to bundle items together, rubber bands contain sulphur which causes rapid and destructive tarnishing.

Do not store silver in plastic bags as they can retain moisture. Finally, you now have a use for those little silica gel sachets which seem to come with so many purchases – pop these in with your silver and they will help absorb moisture. Incidentally oils, onions, eggs, salad dressings all contain ingredients which will accelerate the speed of tarnishing, so if you do use silver with these products wash them quickly afterwards and dry them. You may have noticed that egg spoons often have gilded bowls, this is because gold does not tarnish in the same way and it is there to protect the silver.

Rule five

You may also have observed that silver salts usually have glass liners or are gilded. Salt corrodes silver. This is different from tarnish which can be fairly easily poshed off. Badly corroded silver might need to be taken to a professional to clean or replate. Therefore, rule number five clean your silver after use and do not leave salt sitting in your salt container. Salty snacks like peanuts and crisps will have the same effect. Even if the gilded of liner protects the base, it will often not protect the borders. And take the salt spoons out of the salts.

Rule six

Rule number six, use and enjoy your silver. Use impregnated soft cloths, foams and basic mild detergent and warm water to keep your silver sparkling; and finally, know that notwithstanding your best efforts silver will always tarnish, so employ the simple rules to keep this to a minimum.

The Crown Jewels for the Coronation

Posted on April 25, 2023August 14, 2024 by Jenny Knott

On May 6th King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. A tradition dating back nearly 1000 years since William the Conqueror who was crowned in 1066. Charles’s will be the 38th coronation in the Abbey, most, like Charles’s, having been conducted by the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury.

We are expecting a simpler and more paired back coronation for King Charles, but this does not mean that it is going to be light on tradition and ceremony. This historic event will still be an occasion for spectacle and celebration.

It is a ceremony that has remained essentially the same for a thousand years and the Coronation Regalia are at the heart of proceedings, imbued as they are with cultural and spiritual significance. They represent the powers and responsibilities of the new King and the solemnity of the occasion.

The last time we saw some of the regalia of the coronation was on the late Queen’s coffin, which was adorned with the crown, orb and sceptre.

These three items will play an integral role at the heart of the coronation service, but they are not the only pieces that we will see on the day.

St Edward’s Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of coronation and worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953.

It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649 by Parliamentarians. Charles will wear this crown. The crown is 22 carat gold, so almost pure gold. It stands 30 cm tall and weighs an impressive 5lb. It contains tourmalines, white and yellow topaz, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, peridot, zircons, spinel and aquamarines. The three superstar gems in the crown are the Black Prince’s ruby, the Stuart sapphire and the Cullinan II diamond. No wonder Queen Elizabeth used to practise wearing it before the coronation, so its weight was not overwhelming on the day.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, will wear the Queen Mary’s Crown. This was removed from display at the Tower of London for modification work ahead of the coronation. It is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a Consort. For previous coronations a new crown was commissioned. However, as a concession to the prevailing economic climate; sustainability and efficacy this crown, originally made by Garrards for the 1911 coronation, is being repurposed. Some minor changes and additions will be undertaken by the Crown Jeweller. These changes will pay particular tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, as the Crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. These diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years and were often worn mounted in brooches.

At the heart of the ceremony itself are the sceptre, orb and the coronation anointing spoon. The Sovereign’s Sceptre and Cross symbolises the crown’s power and governance. It has been used at the coronation of every monarch since 1661. It was first used by King Henry VIII in 1509 for his own coronation. It is a golden rod, enamelled and set with multiple gemstones, the best known of which is the Cullinan I, or Star of Africa, a heart-shaped diamond weighing a colossal 530.2 carats.

In the photograph of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation you will see a second sceptre. This is the Sovereign’s sceptre with Dove. It is also known as the rod of Equity and Mercy and depicts an enamel dove wings outstretched alighting on the golden orb and cross. It represents the monarch’s spiritual role as head of the Church of England.

The most ancient piece of the coronation regalia is the coronation anointing spoon. The monarch is anointed with holy oil. The Chrism oil which will be used on May 6th has already been consecrated in Jerusalem. The oil itself comes from olives grown on the Mount of Olives and has been infused with sesame, rose, jasmine and other essential oils.

The spoon is silver gilt. Its existence was first recorded in 1349, but it may be even older. It is ornate with a central division and has been used to anoint monarchs for nearly seven hundred years. The central division may have been so that the archbishop might dip two fingers into the holy oil as he anoints the head, breast and hand of the new monarch.

It is traditional that the choir sings ‘Zadok the Priest’ during this sacred part of the ceremony; music originally composed by Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727 and which has become an integral part of the proceedings.

The anointing is followed by dressing of the monarch in the spectacular robe of cloth of gold called the Supertunica and the long Imperial Mantle. The monarch is then presented with other items from the Coronation Regalia.

These include the gold spurs, the jewelled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. It is at this point that the monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, as well as a ring and two sceptres.

The Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch, during the investiture as the symbol of sovereignty. As a cross mounted on a globe, it represents the Christian world and the power of God. It is a reminder to the monarch that their authority is given by God. It is bisected with applied bands incorporating clusters of emeralds, rubies, sapphires and rose diamonds between bands of pearls. Having been handed to the King, it will be removed and placed on the altar before the moment of crowning.

The King will also be presented with the pair of golden spurs. These were first included amongst the regalia of the coronation in 1189 at the coronation of Richard the Lionheart. These represent his ‘knightly values and virtues’, such as protecting the poor, and defending the church. The current spurs are gold, made in 1661 for Charles1 and adapted in 1820 for George IV. In the past, the spurs were attached to the sovereign’s feet, but on May 6th they will be held at the ankle of the king.

The Sovereign’s ring will be placed on his fourth finger. The ring has the cross of St George at the centre formed from five rubies, overlaying an octagonal cut sapphire and bordered with fourteen old cushion cut diamonds. The ring was originally made by Royal Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for the coronation of William IV. It is said to be a symbol of ‘kingly dignity’.

The coronation sword, also known as The Jewelled Sword of Offering, will be presented by the archbishop, who first blesses the sword and then presents it with the direction that it should be used for the protection of the good and the punishment of evil. First used in 1821 by George IV, it has been used at all coronations since 1902. Like the Sovereign’s ring, the sword, made from blued steel, with a gold, jewel encrusted hilt and jewelled leather scabbard, was a commission from Rundell Bridge and Rundell.

The ceremony culminates with the placing of the St Edward’s Crown on the monarch’s head, the actual ‘coronation’.

The new King will change his crown for The Imperial State Crown as he leaves the Abbey. This is the crown that he will wear for future state occasions like the annual opening of Parliament. Although set in gold with 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and four rubies, it weighs a mere 2.3lb and is a more practical choice. It was worn by the Queen when she left Westminster Abbey in 1953. It was originally made for the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.

Many of us grew up listening to older relatives tell tales of the Queen’s coronation. Televisions were purchased for the first time for the occasion, families huddled round radios to hear the ceremony live, and there is the enduring account of Queen Salote Tupou III who refused to be cowed by the rain and rode through London in an open topped carriage. No doubt King Charles’s coronation will be a different meld of old, new and unexpected acts of generosity and kindness. We can but wish for a day of joy and hope, amidst the tradition and ceremony.

Female Silversmiths

Posted on September 6, 2022October 21, 2024 by Jenny Knott

Does this title sound a little niche? One would hope not in the 21st century, but what about the preceding generations? If you have the slightest interest in silver, it is likely that you will have heard of the prolific maker and great matriarch Hester Bateman. She certainly deserves the recognition. She led the Bateman firm during the second half of the 18th century, during which time the company flourished, innovated, and was eventually taken on by her sons, daughter in law and ultimately her grandson, when, in 1800 the mark of Peter, William and Ann Bateman was registered.

It is often assumed that female silversmiths, goldsmiths and other prominent female woman in trade and industry acceded to prominence by association with their husbands, or families. In the case of Hester Bateman this is true, she married a gold chain maker called John Bateman and it was his death which catapulted her into the running of the firm. However, there were many women working in trades during the 18th century and earlier and not all of them were there by matrimonial or familial association. Although men dominated in commerce, and both the law and custom gave men precedence in most areas, there were successful woman who pursued business in their own right.

Women were occasionally apprenticed to learn a trade and although the majority of female silversmiths and goldsmiths would have learnt their trades through a family connection and without formal indentures, 14 woman silversmiths have been identified in the registry of London makers whose names appear to bear no connection to any male counterparts.

In her work ‘Woman Silversmiths 1685-1845’ Philippa Glanville writes of Welthian Goodyear, a Bristol spoon maker, Ellen Dare of Taunton and Elizabeth Haslewood of Norwich acting as ‘autonomous agents’ with their own workshops and selling their pieces locally. She goes on to say that this is known about as there are records of them being fined for sub-standard work by the Goldsmiths Company, taking apprentices and buying insurance for their shops, workshops, and stock.

The work of silver smithing is physical. Silver is beaten out with heavy hammers; female silversmiths would have needed to be fit and strong to undertake the process. They would undoubtedly have had to do this themselves, especially if they hoped to enter their touch mark at the Goldsmiths’ Hall.

Although women had far more obstacles to overcome to succeed, this sometimes gave them an edge. Hester Bateman’s work is elegant and has been thought of as delicate, even feminine. This is not wholly justified, as those attributions might easily be ascribed to many of the neo-classical pieces produced at the end of the 18th century, including furniture and ceramics. Hester Bateman was, however, instrumental in producing the first machine for flattening or as it was then called ‘flatting’ silver. In contrast to the ‘feminine’ style of Hester Bateman, her near contemporary Elizabeth Godfrey championed a heavy Rococo style, influenced by her first husband, a French Huguenot. Elizabeth outlived two husbands and ran a successful and business in Norris Street, where her prestigious clientele were served by beautifully mannered staff, who were courteous and bilingual, able to converse in both French and English. Her elaborate card shows that she was no shrinking violet, rather, an astute businesswoman.

Rebecca Emes was the most commercially successful female silversmith of the 19th century. She, with partner Edward Barnard formed the formidable firm Emes and Barnard, which in turn became the Barnard Brothers whose pieces turn up in almost every silver auction in the country on a regular basis. Their skill was in producing high quality domestic silverware, a prerequisite in every household of substance in the 19th century.

Happily, today women silversmiths are not a rarity or an anomaly. A quick Google search on the topic reveals the following as the top two results.

Women in Silver smithing at the V&A (an exhibition in 2018).
Meet the 10 emerging jewellers and silversmiths who are set to shine at New Designers One Year In – (sponsored by The Goldsmiths Hall). This is particularly interesting as the category is not gender specific, it just happens that of the ten artists featured 9 are women.

In selecting examples of contemporary female silversmiths, I am spoilt for choice. This is as it should be. Jocelyn Burton who died in 2020, was originally rejected from the Sir John Cass College in London when she applied for their silversmithing course in 1966, on the basis she was a woman. Instead, she enrolled on a jewellery course and studied silversmithing a night school. Such was her eventual success that she was commissioned to produce pieces for the Fishmonger’s Hall, The Butcher’s Company and Lichfield Cathedral.

Rauni Higson is a particular favourite of mine. Her candelabra for the Weavers’ Company and The Goldsmith’s company rosewater dish show an affinity between nature and silver that is intrinsic to much of her work.

Today we should not need to differentiate male and female silversmiths, we should instead concentrate on the craft of the silversmith. It should be remembered however, that this owes much to the female forebears who forged their trade against the significant obstacles of the day.

A Favourite Piece of Silver – The Christoph Jamnitzer Marriage Cup

Posted on September 8, 2020August 22, 2024 by James Lowe

Sadly, the first photo does not show my country retreat – it is the Schloss Moritzburg, about 10 miles from Dresden and was the country seat of the Dukes of Saxony. It was built around 1750, primarily to house their fabulous collection of art and works of art and it’s where my chosen piece of silver spent a couple of hundred years. I have chosen this piece because it is a true tour de force of the silversmith’s skills and has had an extraordinarily romantic and eventful history.

It is a Marriage Cup, about 50 cms high, made in silver gilt by Christoph Jamnitzer (image supplied) in Nuremburg around 1615. Topically controversial, the subject is a Blackamoor – one of thousands of North Africans brought into the region to work as servants on the estates of the wealthy European families of the period. The name of the subject is not known, but the bust represents the central feature of the coat of arms of the fabulously wealthy Pucci family of Florence, and was made to commemorate a Pucci family member marrying one of the equally wealthy Strozzi family.

The head up to his crown would have been hand raised from a single disc of silver – hammered into shape with thousands of very skilfully struck blows to form the likeness we can see here. It would have been mercury gilded and was originally partially painted black – some of which has worn away over the years. The top of his head was another hammered-up disc and very realistically chased with curled hair and topped with an extravagantly plumed head dress set with coloured crystals.

He has a single pierced ear and wears a pearl drop earring. The ‘chopped – off’ back of his neck is beautifully chased and engraved with the coat of arms of the Strozzi family. The base would have been spun up on a lathe from another disc of silver and laboriously and fabulously skilfully chased, engraved, and embossed with scroll work. The bust is supported and strengthened with cast silver gilt scroll brackets embellished with flowerheads.

Back to Schloss Moritzburg. In 1945, the Royal family had for many years been harried by the Nazis, and with the imminent arrival of the Russians, two of the elder Princes decided to hide much of their fabulous collection. To that end they commissioned over 40 large wooden crates. Under cover of darkness the Princes, unaided, went to the forest area of the estate and dug two huge pits which took them five nights to complete. They then drew a rudimentary map and entrusted it to their elderly father. The great majority of the works of art were packed and interred in this secret location, leaving the pictures, furniture and largest pieces plus a few favourite pieces and silver and gilt, in daily use in the Schloss.

Unfortunately, the Duke passed on the location of the treasure to his Estate Forester, a chap called Mandel. Two years later in 1947, Mandel was ‘persuaded’ by the occupying Russian troops to reveal the location of the cache and the whole lot was unearthed and taken away. The collection had been well catalogued and listed over the years and many of the items were unique but very, very few have come to light over the ensuing years.

Shortly after the first ‘burial’ the family were becoming increasingly concerned about their future and decided to repeat the process with some of their remaining favourite items in case they had to make a quick getaway. Amongst these selected pieces were a solid gold tea set and tray made in Augsburg in the early 1720’s, a fantastic gold table centre piece enamelled with exotic flowers and fruit made in 1701, precious coins and family medals and thankfully, my Blackamoor’s head too.

The three pits they dug were apparently not wide enough, so the crates had to be buried upright. Everything was undertaken in such haste that there was little packaging done. The enamelled centrepiece suffered bad damage; the gold tea set was badly bruised, but the Blackamoor’s head fortunately remained undamaged. No map was made of their location and they lay undisturbed until sometime between October 1996 and November 1998.

The Schloss remained empty after the family’s departure and things had lain undisturbed until 2 metal detectorists chanced upon the first of the 3 crates in 1996. Thankfully, proper procedure was followed, and the two Princes who by now were living in Canada, were able to prove family ownership and the contents of the 3 crates, less a few personal trinkets were sold at auction in 1999. The Blackamoor’s head was keenly contested at the sale and was bought by a Swiss museum – and yes, I have made a pilgrimage to see him again!!

Apparently it was usual in the 1600’s when two very wealthy families inter-married that extravagant and expensive gifts like this marriage cup were exchanged, so there just might be a similar Strozzi family marriage cup somewhere out there for me – the only problem being that this one fetched £1,450,000 and that was 20 years ago!!!

The Lesquesne Silver Coffee Pot

Posted on September 7, 2020August 22, 2024 by James Lowe

At auction in 1971 estimate £20,000 – £25,000
At auction in 1983 estimate £150,000 – £175,000
At auction in 2013 estimate £3.5 – £4 million!!

I have had the pleasure of handling this wonderful piece of silver three times over the years but sadly never as the owner or vendor!
Paul de Lamerie is always lauded as being England’s finest silversmith, but as his name suggests he is from the continent. He was in fact Dutch, – Holland actual arriving in England as a 1 year old with his Hugenot family, escaping the religious persecution of the time.

In 1703 he was apprenticed to a fellow Hugenot smith, Pierre Plattel, and by 1713 had set up his own workshop. He very quickly became well known for quality workmanship combined with a sense of style, showing some continental influences which were easily incorporated in the emerging Rococo taste and style of decoration.

The pot was commissioned in 1738 by Sir John Lequesne to commemorate his wedding to Miss Mary Knight of Hampshire and both of their Coats of Arms are engraved to the side of the pot. Sir John was a fellow Hugenot of about the same age as Lamerie and had become a highly successful and wealthy trader in London in the 1720s and a prominent political figure. Contemporary records imply that Lesquesne was somewhat of a smooth operator, gaining his knighthood by being very solicitous and supportive of the newly arrived George II from Germany. Sadly though, the marriage was short lived as Sir John died shortly after in 1741.

English silver of the Queen Anne and George I periods is generally quite restrained: with plain conical, octagonal, or pear-shaped bodies and little in the way of applied or engraved decoration. This pot, although still having a pear-shaped body raised up from a single disc of silver, has bold spiral flutes chased into it and the three scroll legs are cast and join the body on panels which are cast and applied and depict putti clasping the branches of a coffee bush. The short stubby spout emerges from a finely cast mask of a youth emerging from a coffee branch cluster and the handle sockets are cast as snarling lions’ masks.

There is a short spout at the top of the body, rather than being a long slender spout from the bottom of the body. It was designed thus for a practical reason. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate all came to England from the mid 17th century and by the early 1700s coffee was being drunk rather like Turkish coffee these days; that is a very thick and heavy brew which had sugar added before being transferred to the pot, making it quite ‘gloopy’ to pour. This would have been a problem with a long slender curved spout.

The use of coffee bush branches as a decorative feature is, as far as we are aware, unique. Presumably, they were used to denote it being a coffee pot, but it has also been suggested that one of Lesquesne’s business ventures might well have been in the importing of coffee to England, so the design may have been a nod to this trade. The finial is cast with shells (very much a Rococo feature) and there are small panels of finely engraved trellis-like decoration in the Chinoiserie taste. There are also some very boldly chased floral clusters and swags. It may be somewhat of a riot of decorative styles incorporated in a pot that measures under 30 cms, but in my opinion it works marvellously well.

So why is this George II silver coffee pot worth hundreds of times more than any other pot of the same era? Firstly, it is the de Lamerie factor. He gained the Royal warrant from George II only three years after setting up on his own, and he was also a silversmith favoured by members of the Houses of Parliament. Most of his production was on a commissioned basis from wealthy patrons, most had coats of arms, and a lot of contemporary records survive.

But despite his popularity and great success over his 30 or so year career, his production was surprisingly limited. Even the smallest of his products was superior in quality and style than most of his contemporaries and he never bought in stock from other smiths – a practice quite common where a smith would buy bits from a fellow smith before hallmarking and marking it with his own maker’s mark. The legally enforceable Hallmarking Act, which has been in operation for 750 years or so, has worked well and as far as I’m aware there are no de Lamerie fakes around, and unlike the picture world you don’t find silver with the ‘school of Lamerie’ or ‘in the manner of Lamerie’ labels.

You would have thought that a silver coffee pot made for use over 250 years ago would show some signs of wear, but this pot is as crisp and sharp as when it left the factory. I am therefore sure that from day one it was a piece of silver that commanded respect and reverence and may have spent much of its life as a showpiece. Even the fruitwood handle looks to be original.
Secondly, is the design factor of the pot. It is the first recorded piece of English silver that carries features from the French Regency style that was prevalent in the early 1720s in Europe. This trend developed into the full-blooded Rococo period of the mid-century which influenced the decorative features of furniture and paintings for several decades.

Thirdly, it is a seminal work of art in my opinion and a wonderful example of the silversmiths’ skills. Works of art do not have to be painted on canvas!!

And finally, it is totally unique. Thankfully, because if there were another one around I couldn’t even afford the knob on the top!