,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plate ,,companion ,,volume ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,author ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,silver ,,contents ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,marks ,,stamped ,,upon ,,silver ,,ii4 ,,ecclesiastical ,,plate ,,iii4 ,,the ,,mazer1 ,,the ,,standing ,,cup1 ,,the ,,flagon1 ,,the ,,tankard1 ,,the ,,beaker1 ,,the ,,wine ,,cup ,,iv4 ,,the ,,salt ,,cellar ,v4 ,,the ,,spoon ,,vi4 ,,the ,,posset ,,pot1 ,,the ,,porringer ,,vii4 ,,the ,,candlestick ,,viii4 ,,the ,,teapot1 ,,the ,,coffee ,,pot1 ,,the ,,tea ,,caddy ,,ix4 ,,the ,,caster1 ,,the ,,sugar ,,bowl1 ,,the ,,cream ,,pail1 ,,the ,,cake ,,basket ,x4 ,,the ,,cream ,,jug ,,xi4 ,,scottish ,,silver ,,xii4 ,,irish ,,silver ,,appendix4--,,tables ,,of ,,date ,,letters1 ,,london 7#aeih-aije7--,,table ,,of ,,differences ,,in ,,shields1 ,,london 7,,elizabeth ,,to ,,george ,v7--,,illustrations ,,of ,,marks1 ,,london1 ,,provincial1 ,,scottish ,,and ,,irish ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,centrepiece4 ,on circular base1 with nine plated wire baskets for glass dishes on spiral branches4 ,date #agge-aghj4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,frontispiece4 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plate ,,by ,,arthur ,,hayden ,,author ,,of ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,silver1 ,,chats ,,on ,,old ,,clocks ,,etc4 ,,with ,,frontispiece ,,and #eh ,,full-,,page ,,illustrations ,,including #e ,,pages ,,of ,,makers' ,,marks ,t4 ,,fisher ,,unwin ,,ltd ,,london3 ,,adelphi ,,terrace ,first published #aibj ,second ,impression #aibd 7,all rights reserved7 ,,to ,,my ,,friend ,,walter ,,idris1 ,,in ,,appreciation ,,of ,,kindred ,,recognition ,,preface ,many readers have importuned me to write a companion volume to my ,chats on ,old ,silver1 to complete the chain of evolution of the metal-smith's art in regard to silver plate and silver plated ware4 ,accordingly this volume appears as a complementary and companion volume to that on ,old ,silver1 and although the former describes the history and character of the silversmiths' work from ,elizabeth to ,victoria1 the present volume covers a much shorter period1 approximately a hundred years1 when the plater's skill1 in what is now generally known as old ,sheffield ,plate1 of superimposing a thin sheet of silver on a copper base1 won a triumph in the great art of simulation until it was superseded by the modern electro-plating process4 ,the invention was discovered and first practised at ,sheffield1 but it soon covered a wider area1 and plated ware by fusion and rolled was made at ,birmingham1 ,london1 ,nottingham and elsewhere4 ,but it still retains the name of ,sheffield ,plate1 and nothing can remove this title from the public mind1 although it is a misnomer4 ,sheffield ,plate is ,sheffield solid silver duly assayed at the ,sheffield ,assay ,office1 which has existed since #aggc1 and bears the crown as the town mark together with the maker's initials and the date letter1 the same as sterling silver plate assayed at ,london1 ,birmingham1 ,chester1 ,edinburgh1 ,dublin1 or any other of the assay offices4 ,sheffield ,plated ,ware is a copy or simulation of real plate4 ,it was1 as this volume shows1 possessed of considerable artistic qualities1 it was fashioned by craftsmen who were masters of a clever technique1 and it is1 if not a lost art1 certainly an art not practised in the old methods nor with the same exactitude nowadays1 and as such it is worthy of the serious attention of the collector4 ,as to its artistry purists may cavil at its imitativeness4 ,although imitation is the sincerest form of flattery the contemporary silversmiths of ,london and elsewhere were far from flattered4 ,they began to be alarmed at the growth of the manufacture1 and protective ,acts of ,parliament were passed to safeguard the interests of silversmiths against competition by silver platers4 ,in regard to technique ,i have given sufficient details to enable collectors to identify their possessions and to take a further interest in details of craftsmanship4 ,by permission of the ,board of ,education ,i am reproducing several designs from the copper-plate illustrations of the old ,catalogues and ,pattern ,books issued to buyers of their wares on the ,continent of ,europe by the leading firms of ,sheffield in the eighteenth century4 ,in regard to information concerning the manufacture of plate by fusion at ,dublin ,i am under an obligation to ,dudley ,westropp1 ,esq41 of the ,national ,museum1 ,dublin1 for notes embodied herein relating to the importation of ,sheffield plated ware into ,ireland and its attempted manufacture there4 ,i have also to acknowledge the kindness of ,g4 ,harry ,wallis1 ,esq41 ,f4,s4,a41 of the ,nottingham ,museum and ,art ,gallery1 for the inclusion of illustrations of several examples4 ,the ,corporation of ,sheffield have allowed me to have special photographs taken of examples exhibited in the ,public ,museum1 ,sheffield1 and ,i am indebted to the ,curator1 ,e4 ,howarth1 ,esq41 for his courtesy in enabling this to be carried out successfully4 ,i have had access by the kindness of collectors to several representative collections4 ,i am especially indebted to ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq41 for enabling me to illustrate herein many fine examples from his choice collection4 ,to ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq41 ,i have to express acknowledgment for allowing me to reproduce illustrations of specimens of old ,sheffield plated ware that have passed through his hands for many years1 and for much information afforded me in connection with the old technique4 ,in regard to marks on old ,sheffield and other plated ware1 in view of strictures on marks laid down by ,acts of ,parliament1 ,i have come to the conclusion that marks on old ,sheffield plated ware are somewhat negligible1 as they lack the authoritative exactitude of those placed by law on silver plate4 ,there were marks when the ,sheffield makers simulated silver marks till they alarmed the silversmiths and were stopped by statute4 ,then came a hiatus4 ,then again they adopted trade marks plentifully found1 but these marks are not always found on examples of the best period4 ,so in adjudging old ,sheffield plated ware1 marks have a subsidiary place1 and they are accorded a subsidiary place in this volume4 ,i submit this volume unhesitatingly to lovers of old ,sheffield plated ware as a carefully considered exposition of what was produced for a hundred years1 consisting of fine design1 exquisite balance1 and wonderful technique1 till plating became a scientific process and electro-plating became of common usage4 ,but this is modernity4 ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,,contents ,,page ,,preface #g ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations #ac ,,chapter ,i ,,introduction #ag ,,chapter ,,ii ,,early ,,days 7,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,silver-,,plating ,,by ,,fusion ,,at ,,sheffield7 #dc ,,chapter ,,iii ,,candelabra ,,and ,,candlesticks #gi ,,chapter ,,iv ,,salt ,,cellars ,,and ,,mustard ,,pots #acc ,,chapter ,v ,,cake ,,baskets1 ,,decanter ,,stands 7,,coasters71 ,,dish ,,or ,,potato ,,rings1 ,,inkstands ,,and ,,taper ,,holders #aei ,,chapter ,,vi ,,teapots1 ,,tea ,,and ,,coffee ,,sets1 ,,tea ,,kettles1 ,,coffee ,,pots1 ,,sugar ,,basins #ahg ,,chapter ,,vii ,,soup ,,tureens1 ,,hot ,,water ,,jugs1 ,,the ,,supper ,,table #bag ,,chapter ,,viii ,,centrepieces #bdc ,,chapter ,,ix ,,close ,,plating #bei ,,appendix1 ,,marks ,,on ,,old ,,silver 7#agec-ahdj7 #bga ,,marks ,,on ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plate #bhe ,,index #bie ,,illustrations ,old ,sheffield ,plated ,centrepiece ,frontispiece ,,chapter ,i4--,,introduction ,,page ,soup ,tureen and ,fruit ,dish carved in ,pear-wood #bi ,wedgwood ,dessert ,basket and ,dessert ,centrepiece #cc ,group of ,silver ,lustre ,ware and ,glass ,candlesticks #cg ,,chapter ,,ii4--,,early ,,days ,knives1 with ,medallion of ,shakespeare #ea ,wine ,label1 ,buttons #ea ,group of ,patch ,boxes #ee ,candlestick1 #agge1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #fe ,candlestick1 #agie1 ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #fi ,candlesticks1 #agig1 ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #ge ,,chapter ,,iii4--,,candelabra ,,and ,,candlesticks ,candlestick1 #aghe #hc ,candelabrum1 #ahjj #hg ,candelabrum 7#g-lights71 #ahbj #ia ,candelabrum 7#e-lights71 #ahaj #ic ,candelabrum 7#b-lights71 #agij #ig ,candelabra1 #agij #aja ,candelabrum 7,single twist71 #agij #ajc ,candelabrum 7,double twist7 #ajg ,candelabrum1 #agie2 ,candelabrum1 #agij-agie #aaa ,candelabrum1 ,small1 ,candlestick1 ,lyre ,design #aac ,candelabrum 7#c-lights71 #ahje2 ,candelabrum 7#d-lights71 #ahaj #aag ,candelabrum 7#c-lights71 #ahbj #aba ,old ,print ,serena 7after ,romney7 ,chamber ,candlesticks #abc ,table ,candlesticks1 #agfe1 #aggj1 #agie #abg ,table ,candlesticks1 #aghj1 #agij1 #agie #abi ,table ,candlesticks1 #ahaj1 #ahbj1 #ahcj #abi ,,chapter ,,iv4--,,salt ,,cellars ,,and ,,mustard ,,pots ,salt ,cellars1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #acg ,salt ,cellars1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #ada ,mustard ,pots1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #ade ,mustard ,pots1 #agge1 #aghe1 #agij #adi ,mustard ,pots1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #aea ,pepper ,casters1 ,group of #aee ,mustard ,pots1 ,group of #aee ,,chapter ,v4--,,cake ,,baskets1 ,,decanter ,,stands1 ,,dish ,,rings1 ,,inkstands1 ,,etc4 ,cake ,baskets1 ,wire ,work1 #ahjj1 #ahaj #afc ,decanter ,stands 7,coasters71 ,group of1 #aghe-agij #afg ,decanter ,stands 7,coasters71 ,group of1 #ahje1 #ahaj1 #ahae #afi ,decanter ,stands 7,coasters71 ,group of1 #ahje1 #ahbj #agc ,butter ,dish #age ,dish or ,potato ,ring #age ,inkstands1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #agi ,taper ,holders1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #ahc ,,chapter ,,vi4--,,teapots1 ,,tea ,,kettles1 ,,coffee ,,pots1 ,,sugar ,,basins ,teapot1 #agib1 from ,old ,pattern ,book 7#ahth century7 #aia ,teapot and ,tea ,caddies1 ,cake ,basket #aic ,tea and ,coffee ,sets1 #ahaj1 #ahbj #aig ,tea and ,coffee ,sets1 #ahbe1 #ahcj #aii ,tea ,urn1 #ahaj #bjc ,tea ,kettles and ,stands1 #ahje1 #ahbj #bjg ,coffee ,pot1 ,french1 ,silver-plated2 ,sugar ,baskets1 ,pierced ,work #baa ,sugar ,baskets1 #ahbe #bac ,,chapter ,,vii4--,,tureens1 ,,hot ,,water ,,jugs1 ,,etc4 ,soup ,tureen1 #ahje #bba ,soup ,tureens1 #ahae1 #ahbe #bbe ,soup ,tureen1 #ahae #bbi ,hot ,water ,jugs 7#b7 #bbi ,entre ,dishes1 #ahae1 #ahbe #bcc ,hot ,water ,jug1 ,adam style1 #aggj #bce ,toasted ,cheese ,dishes1 #ahjj1 #ahaj #bci ,pipe ,lighter1 #aghc #bci ,,chapter ,,viii4--,,centrepieces ,centrepieces1 #agij1 #ahaj #bdg ,centrepiece1 with ,female ,figures #bea ,chestnut ,dish2 ,fruit ,basket1 #ahaj #bee ,appendix ,marks on ,silver ,plate #bge1 #bgi1 #bhc ,marks on ,old ,sheffield ,plate #bhg1 #bia ,i ,,introduction ,,imitation ,,as ,a ,,fine ,,art ,,economic ,,substitution ,,european ,,imitativeness ,,parallels ,,in ,,english ,,craftsmanship ,,early ,,plating ,,silver ,,platers ,,at ,,sheffield ,,chapter ,i ,,introduction ,imitation as a fine art--,economic substitution--,european imitativeness--,parallels in ,english craftsmanship--,early plating--,silver platers at ,sheffield4 ,imitation is no new thing in art4 ,indeed it may be advanced as an axiom that no art worthy of the name has ever come into being without inheriting the traditions and technique of some preceding motifs4 ,bizarre movements have at one time and another seized artists and craftsmen1 they have become anarchist in regard to all previous art postulates1 and produced somewhat chaotic and formless results4 ,the fantastic jazz in art circles known as ,l',art ,nouveau some years ago1 temporarily upset the balance of the younger generation of designers1 spent its force in unchecked licence1 and ended so ignominiously that it is now entirely forgotten1 nor has it left any permanent impression upon succeeding schools4 ,now and again imitation has been resorted to by well-known masters to flagellate the taste of their own day4 ,embittered by constant praise of old works they have made imitations of old masters' styles and foisted them on their critics until at such moment they divulged their authorship and pricked the bubble of the undue adoration of the ancients4 ,pierre ,mignard fabricated a ,magdalen and through the complicity of a dealer it was sold as a newly discovered ,guido to the ,chevalier de ,clairville4 ,presently it was noised about that the painting was by ,mignard4 ,le ,brun1 the great painter1 pronounced it to be a ,guido and in his best manner4 ,the jest had gone far enough1 the owner1 ,mignard1 ,le ,brun1 and the critics met to settle the affair4 ,le ,brun and the critics adhered to their belief in its authenticity4 ,mignard protested otherwise1 and said he had painted the work over the portrait of a cardinal1 and as proof dipped a brush in oil and disclosed the cardinal's hat4 ,le ,brun1 bursting with anger1 satirically exclaimed1 ,always paint ,guido but never ,mignard4 ,but the canvases of ,mignard and ,le ,brun both hang together in the leading galleries of ,europe4 ,nor is this a solitary instance of the pique of artists for lack of discernment in contemporary criticism4 ,goltzius1 that masterly exponent of strongly graved lines on the copper1 produced and published six prints in the style of ,albert ,drer1 ,lucas van ,leyden and others1 and one1 the ,circumcision1 was sold as one of ,drer's finest achievements4 ,these six engravings of ,goltzius are known among his work as the masterpieces4 ,they are certainly masterly imitations1 and he executed them to show his critics that though his was a new style1 yet he could if he chose slavishly follow the manner of the old masters4 ,these are instances of imitation used ironically as a weapon to pour scorn on the mediocrity and want of knowledge of critics4 ,in pictures there have been whole generations of imitators and copyists4 ,the continent in the eighteenth century was flooded with sham ,correggios1 ,claudes1 ,poussins1 and ,cuyps1 and many ,english painters1 afterwards well known1 did not disdain to make copies for the dealers of old masters' pictures4 ,david ,allan1 called the ,scottish ,hogarth1 was an adept in copying chalk drawings from the old masters2 and many artists eked out a pitiable existence as copyists while waiting for the public to acclaim their original work4 ,john ,jackson copied the head of ,reynolds for ,chantrey which could have passed for the original by ,sir ,joshua4 ,a ,rubens he painted in the presence of the students of the ,royal ,academy was acclaimed as faithful to the original4 ,he was unequalled in such facsimile imitations4 ,henry ,liverseege1 in the early days of the nineteenth century1 copied ,vandyck1 ,rubens1 and ,teniers with such skill that few could say which was the original and which the copy4 ,two pictures1 one by ,sir ,edwin ,landseer1 and the other a copy1 were to be sold on successive days at auction4 ,the painter1 strolling in to the auction room on the day before the copy was sold1 mistook it for his own work4 ,at the galleries of the ,fine ,art ,society1 in ,bond ,street in #ahge1 an exhibition was held of a series of facsimiles of ,turner drawings in the ,national ,gallery lent by ,ruskin and executed for him by ,mr4 ,ward4 ,of these replicas1 ,ruskin said in a note3 ,i have given my best attention during upwards of ten years to train a copyist to perfect fidelity in rendering the works of ,turner1 and have now succeeded in enabling him to produce facsimiles so close as to look like replicas--facsimiles which ,i must sign with my own name to prevent their being sold for real ,turner vignettes4 ,economic ,substitution4--,but imitation has many phases4 ,modern photography in copying the great works of old masters has made it possible to study their works with exactitude in the dimensions of black and white1 and if the work is an etching or an engraving the reproduction claims a closer relationship with the original4 ,the art of engraving from painters' work is imitative to the extent that it depicts the same subject and takes its initial inspiration from the painted canvas4 ,but it claims a much higher regard--the great school of interpretative engravers translated painting into terms of black and white4 ,economically1 therefore1 it will be seen that there is a real reason why imitative art1 on whatever plane it finds itself1 should hold its place4 ,in a broad sense it has had a mission4 ,it is true1 as ,goethe said1 that ,there are many echoes but few voices2 but the echoes have their value too until they reverberate into nothingness and new voices arise4 ,as a substitute1 therefore1 for unattainable works of art any medium that will so successfully simulate the original as to convey the lines and the grace1 the colour and the harmony1 though in a lesser degree than the original1 is to be welcomed for its own sake4 ,there are many occasions when sacrifices have had to be made and when prototypes have been destroyed and substitutes have arisen which have artistically filled the hiatus1 if only for the time being4 ,for instance1 the extravagance of ,louis ,,xiv in regard to sumptuous silver passed all bounds4 ,at a fte at ,versailles in #affh on each side of the royal buffet was elevated on a portico ten feet high a grand silver guridon bearing a massive silver girandole which lighted the buffet1 accompanied by numerous large silver vases4 ,on the table and steps of the buffet1 which reached the height of twenty-five feet1 were arranged twenty-four massive bowls of fine workmanship--these were separated by as many large vases1 cassolettes and girandoles of great beauty4 ,there were on the table twenty-four large silver jardinires full of flowers1 in front was a great silver cistern shaped like a shell1 at the two extremities were four guridons1 six feet high1 surmounted by silver girandoles4 ,two other tables for the ladies were similarly equipped with masterpieces of the silversmiths' art4 ,in #afhh the ,grande ,monarque needed money to carry on his wars1 and he issued an edict forbidding the manufacture of such massive silver1 and sent all his plate to the ,mint4 ,so all this fine work1 designed1 made by ,claude ,ballin1 ,pierre ,germain1 ,montars and other celebrated craftsmen after designs by ,le ,brun1 was melted down2 happily the pieces were first drawn by the artist goldsmith ,delaunay and their forms are preserved4 ,the king made it compulsory that the fine plate of the nobility should be sacrificed too1 and in consequence most of the fine old silver was melted down4 ,but here comes the imitative note4 ,the age of sumptuous silversmiths' work was followed by an age of fine pottery4 ,beautifully decorated earthenware and porcelain became fashionable4 ,rouen made a special service for ,louis ,,xiv1 and a great impetus was given to the art of the factories of ,moustiers1 ,marseilles and ,nevers1 and thus the nobles of ,france had their banquets from the clay of the potter instead of from the vessels of the silversmith4 ,as will be shown later the relationship between the art of the potter and that of the silversmith has always been somewhat closely allied4 ,the designs of the one have1 although not necessarily adapted to a differing technique1 been boldly taken and assimilated in results that leave their note of incongruity to be criticized by collectors and connoisseurs to-day4 ,european ,imitativeness4--,in order to arrive at a closer appreciation of the niceties of imitation1 perhaps it would be better to commence by attempting to understand what is originality and where it can be found4 ,but that would entail a great amount of study4 ,in porcelain one would have to follow the attempts of the ,dutch school of potters and bow down in admiration to ,meissen1 where the first true porcelain was made in ,europe4 ,all else is imitative1 including ,svres and ,wedgwood and ,worcester4 ,nor does imitation stand arrested at technique1 it follows slavishly the oriental prototype in design4 ,we find pagodas and ,chinese landscapes1 and little figures which meant so much in a language of symbolism1 scattered promiscuously on ,delft beakers and on ,bow cups4 ,wedgwood1 in his ,portland ,vase1 copied a prototype of blue glass4 ,in his classic subjects in relief on his vases and his cameos he builded on the reputation of ,greek and ,roman types translated through the brain of ,john ,flaxman1 and there was a school of potters who came second-hand after ,wedgwood and imitatively carried on his classic style4 ,the whole of the school of decorating furniture in lac is imitated from the ,east1 and a poor imitation at best4 ,what the glass-worker did at ,venice was copied over the ,alps in ,germany4 ,it suffered in translation and finally became something new4 ,the bulbous appendages to ,german glass were the crescendo note of the ,italian more reticent ornament4 ,when the ,murano glass-worker added the tiny griffin-like symbolized version of the small sea-horse found in the ,adriatic to the handles of his tazzas1 he added a touch of grace and beauty4 ,but the ,german developed these into chimerical beasts4 ,in an examination of ,european art one wonders where imitation ends and where originality begins4 ,originality unfortunately often begins just at that point when the original touch of genius is lost sight of and when banal excrescences are added1 meaningless and offensive4 ,but originality and fertility of design often begin when experimentalists set out to produce one thing and realized another1 and commenced a new technique and became original in so doing4 ,the search for the philosopher's stone was futile1 the old alchymists in their laboratories1 though they never found the means of transmuting baser metals into gold1 made experiments which begat the results of modern science4 ,impulses are carried out in various countries in accordance with national limitations4 ,the ,east ,african negro who patiently covers a gin bottle with bead-work1 proudly displayed as native art by a missionary society in ,london1 is obeying the instinct to embellish and add his own genius to that of the alien4 ,he knows the value the white man puts on the spirit bottle1 and he worships afar off at the same shrine4 ,parallels in ,english ,craftsmanship4--,in regard to ,sheffield plated ware1 if it be advanced that it was imitative of old silver and therefore negligible1 we must claim as a parallel old ,english earthenware1 where1 although the technique differed from that of the potting of porcelain1 it did simulate porcelain1 and examples of the one are found in replica of the other4 ,as to production the reason for imitativeness is often to effect economy4 ,nor should this be anathema in art4 ,undoubtedly ,staffordshire and all its products struck hard at the ,english porcelain factories4 ,but1 in spite of its initial imitativeness and its wary regard for competitive lines1 it did win a path of its own4 ,there the parallel ceases because earthenware was made in ,england prior to porcelain4 ,imitativeness in various arts is common enough4 ,the glass-worker and the potter copied the silversmith4 ,the cabinet-maker was indebted to both and vice versa4 ,we find acanthus ornament in wood and in metal1 the strapwork of the ,tudor carver on wood and on silver4 ,the cupid in metal on the ,stuart clock case is duplicated in the stretcher of the chair carved in walnut1 and is found in stone at ,hampton ,court and ,st4 ,paul's in similar ornament4 ,wedgwood snatched the topographical designs from copper-plate engravings to decorate his service for ,catherine ,,ii of ,russia1 depicting ,english country seats and views4 ,chippendale borrowed from the ,chinese1 and echoed ,marot1 the ,french designer1 in his original designs which burst upon the town in his ,director4 ,nor does it seem to trouble the collector of china overmuch that ,worcester copied oriental models and even used a spurious ,chinese mark1 that ,bow boldly proclaimed itself as ,new ,canton1 and copied ,worcester1 and that ,lowestoft copied both4 ,the invention of transfer printing upon china is claimed by ,worcester1 by ,liverpool and by ,battersea1 and all three employed designs which were not original4 ,the whole school of designs transfer-printed upon china is imitative1 many of them had already appeared as illustrations to books4 ,take another art1 that of stipple engraving printed in colours4 ,here indeed is an imitative art4 ,an engraving in black and white is a translation of a subject in colours4 ,when printed in colours it sets out to be imitative of another art4 ,but collectors have not been shy to give as much as four figures for some of these eighteenth century colour prints1 greater prices even than the original paintings would bring under the hammer4 ,the subject is illimitable and provocative of much argument4 ,illustration3 ,,soup ,,tureen ,,and ,,ladle ,,carved ,,in ,,pear-,,wood4 ,illustration3 ,,fruit ,,dish ,,and ,,stand ,,carved ,,in ,,pear-,,wood4 7,at the ,wedgwood ,museum at ,etruria47 ,as interesting examples showing the versatility of designers1 and that potters and silversmiths and woodworkers not only touched at many points but actually assimilated designs more proper to another technique in which they were working4 ,the technique of the metal workers should have little to recommend its adoption by the cabinet-maker1 yet we find tea caddies in ,chippendale's ,director which have details certainly more fit to be executed as mounts by the ,french ormulu workers than by the ,english wood-carvers1 even though in soft mahogany4 ,josiah ,wedgwood availed himself of many suggestions from other fields than that of pottery4 ,a ,soup ,tureen and ,ladle carved in pear-wood is at the ,museum at ,etruria to prove this excursion of his for models4 ,this illustration 7p4 #bi7 clearly shows a design1 although executed in wood1 having certain ornaments which more properly belong to the technique of the silversmith4 ,another carved pear-wood model is that of a ,fruit ,dish and ,stand4 ,here again there peeps forth not so much the technique of the wood-carver as the peculiar and more easily obtainable ornament of the metal worker4 ,it might be a ,sheffield plated ,decanter ,stand or ,coaster4 ,josiah ,wedgwood's collection of shells provided him with many a model for his cream ware dishes4 ,he has used the small flattish escallop like shells--,pholus status1 ,pectem ,japonicum1 ,area ,antiquat and others1 with great effect and crudely suggested the natural colours4 ,in these the silversmiths helped themselves liberally to ,wedgwood's models and we find innumerable single shell designs prevalent since their adoption in pottery by ,wedgwood4 ,it would similarly appear that they were equally indebted to him for another of his bold replicas of nature in the fine ,dessert ,centrepiece 7illustrated1 p4 #cc74 ,as spoon-warmers and for other purposes the silversmith found this model from old ,josiah's conchological collection remarkably practical and accordingly lost no time in imitating it4 ,another ,wedgwood piece1 a ,dessert ,basket 7illustrated1 p4 #cc7 proves that ,josiah had his own back1 for the pierced ornament is distinctly taken from the silversmith and is more proper to his art than to that of the worker in clay4#a ,one can trace the motives of much of his work1 both as to form and decoration1 in the collections of various kinds which he was amassing1 and in his constant intercourse with the metal-workers of ,sheffield and ,birmingham4 ,to the former source he was indebted for the designs derived from objects of natural history1 particularly shells and plants2 to the latter source he owed many shapes and methods of decorative treatment which were used for silver plated ware4 ,his introduction of diapers and other conventional designs in pierced and perforated work come straight from the ,sheffield silver platers1 and this style of ornamentation done in the same county as ,sheffield1 at the ,leeds pottery1 was carried to its extreme limit by ,messrs4 ,hartley ,green ,co41 who became the most successful imitators of ,wedgwood's cream ware1 about the year #aghc4 ,footnote #a3 ,josiah ,wedgwood1 by ,professor ,church1 #aijc4 ,illustration3 ,,wedgwood ,,cream ,,ware ,,dessert ,,basket4 ,showing fine pierced work4 7,reproduced by the courtesy of ,messrs4 ,josiah ,wedgwood ,sons47 ,illustration3 ,,wedgwood ,,cream ,,ware ,,dessert ,,centrepiece4 ,designed from ,josiah ,wedgwood's collection of shells4 7,in the ,museum at ,etruria47 7,reproduced by the courtesy of ,messrs4 ,josiah ,wedgwood ,sons47 ,the illustration 7p4 #cg7 shows the competitive repetition of design contemporary with ,sheffield plate4 ,the potter found earthenware1 covered with a fine platinum glaze1 was a colourable imitation of silver plate4 ,if the squire had his plate and persons of lesser degree more economically inclined had their ,sheffield plate1 the cottager could have a fine1 glittering array of silver lustre vessels4 ,nor was the glass-worker behindhand in coming into the field1 as the illustration shows4 ,early ,plating4--,in early days silver was used sparingly before the ,spanish fleets from ,south ,america had poured silver into ,europe4 ,ancient drinking vessels of wood such as the mazer1 a drinking bowl much like a punch bowl1 were decorated with silver bands4 ,cocoa-nut cups were similarly decorated4 ,by the end of the sixteenth century1 solid silver had replaced most of these forms for use in the spacious days of ,elizabeth4 ,the early records show that certain goldsmiths were guilty of mals outrages4 ,in the fourteenth century gold was debased by mixing it with glass1 silver by adding lead or fine sand4 ,latten and brass vessels were silvered and passed off as being of solid silver4 ,one ,edward ,bor in #acgf was summoned before the mayor and aldermen of ,london to make answer that he had silvered #bdj buttons of latone and #cd circlets of latone for purses called gibesers 7gipcires7 and had maliciously purposed and imagined to sell the same for pure silver in deceit of the people2 both he and a confederate one ,michael ,hakeneye were sent to ,newgate prison4 ,another case of ,john of ,rochester in #adad is recorded where he counterfeited mazer bands in copper and brass1 plated over with silver4 ,it is interesting to read that no artificer nor another other man shall gild nor silver any such locks1 rings1 beads1 candlesticks1 harness for girdles1 chalices1 hilts nor pommels of swords1 powder boxes1 nor covers for cups made of copper or latten1 upon pain to forfeit to the ,king one hundred shillings every time1 and to make satisfaction to the party grieved for his damages4 ,but that 7chalices always excepted7 the said artificers may work ornaments for the ,church of copper and latten1 and the same gild or silver1 so that always in the foot or some other part of such ornament the copper and latten shall be plain1 that a man may see whereof the thing is made for to eschew the deceit aforesaid4 ,as to the hall marks on silver#b the series of ,acts of ,parliament relating to the assaying1 marking and regulating wrought plate and ascertaining the standard for the good and safety of the public1 covers a long period4 ,british hall marks possess a reputation extending over three hundred years4 ,heavy penalties were exacted for fabrication of marks4 ,in ,france in #agbd an edict was passed declaring sentence of death against those who counterfeited stamps or insert or solder stamps on other plate4 ,footnote #b3 ,see ,chats on ,old ,silver1 by ,arthur ,hayden1 pp4 #be-fc4 ,illustration3 ,,group ,,of ,,silver ,,lustre ,,ware4 ,coffee ,pot4 ,basin4 ,teapot4 ,the ,staffordshire potter's imitation of silver4 ,illustration3 ,,glass ,,candlesticks4 ,late eighteenth century4 ,it is thus evident that baser metals had from time immemorial been plated with silver1 and1 given an unprotected public1 many such frauds could be perpetrated by skilful and unscrupulous craftsmen4 ,in fact they were perpetrated4 ,in #agfg a working silversmith was prosecuted by indictment upon ,stat4 ,,xxviii ,edward ,i and ,stat4 ,,vi ,george ,i1 cap4 #aa for soldering bits of standard silver to tea-tongs and shoe-buckles which were worse than standard and sending the same to the ,goldsmiths' ,company ,assay ,office at ,london in order fraudulently to obtain their marks to the same4 ,in ,france from #agec to #agei a set of regulations to be observed by silversmiths in the profession of their art enacts that ,they shall not make the rims turned over full of solder1 in form of hammered edges to basins1 dishes and plates2 nor shall they under pretext of joining1 solder on to them other bottoms4 ,the methods employed prior to the invention of the plating by fusion and rolling in sheets at ,sheffield was known as ,french plating4 ,throughout the eighteenth century clock cases were silvered by this method1 and successive layers of silver could be applied to any thickness required4 ,silver ,platers at ,sheffield4--,the platers set out frankly as a school of copyists to imitate silver plate4 ,they laid a thin imposition of silver on copper and rolled it and dealt with the sheets as if they were solid silver4 ,they suffered from many disadvantages which they eventually overcame2 they competed directly1 and more directly1 than did the ,staffordshire potters with the silversmiths4 ,the potter snatched the silver models and so did they4 ,but he had less reason than they because he left his proper technique as a worker in clay in so doing4 ,it was no new thing to plate baser metals with silver or with gold4 ,but the method by which it was accomplished and the rolled-out sheets were new4 ,to rush into a general industry to expend great capital on it1 to launch it on the market1 to compete with the richest and closest corporation of goldsmiths in the world1 was a new and audacious venture1 and this ,sheffield did1 and the designs partook of the character of the finest produced by the experienced workers in silver plate4 ,it is an incongruous situation wherein this school of imitators1 who set out diffidently to simulate silver and were presently met by severe statutes of the realm and with severe penalties for producing marks simulating those of the assay offices1 overrode the tide that set against them and were finally acknowledged by statute as genuine craftsmen to be protected in a great industry1 and ,sheffield obtained an assay office of her own1 with overlordship over her platers4 ,in comparison with the other assay offices both ,sheffield and ,birmingham own titles which seem to convey that the assay offices came into being as a protective measure2 they were to be watch-dogs over the silver platers in their district4 ,in #aggc there were1 among others1 the ,wardens and ,commonalty of the ,mystery of ,goldsmiths of the ,city of ,london1 the ,incorporation of ,goldsmiths of ,edinburgh1 and the ,fraternity or ,company of ,goldsmiths of ,dublin4 ,but the assay offices established at ,sheffield and ,birmingham were to be ,the ,guardians of the ,standard of ,wrought ,plate1 which is suggestive in the circumstances4 ,competitive rivalry in art has often ended in the undoing of a particular school where imitation was pushed to fulsome lengths4 ,when the wood engraver simulated the actual cracks in the canvases of the subjects he was copying on his block he showed a decadence which shortly led to his extinction4 ,but the ,sheffield platers never added blemishes of their own to the silver they copied4 ,they produced faithful copies4 ,they selected fine examples and they stood supreme in what they set out to do1 until1 by a later process1 they were superseded4 ,,ii ,,early ,,days ,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,silver ,,plating ,,by ,,fusion ,,thomas ,,boulsover ,,of ,,sheffield 7#agjd-aghh7 ,a ,,world ,,of ,,knick-,,knacks ,,the ,,sheffield ,,silver-,,plating ,,process ,,early ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,productions ,,joseph ,,hancock ,,the ,,rise ,,of ,,the ,,birmingham ,,and ,,other ,,silver ,,platers ,,the ,,commencement ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,period ,,of ,,sheffield ,,plating ,,contemporary ,,silversmiths ,,and ,,their ,,art ,,chapter ,,ii ,,early ,,days ,the invention of silver plating by fusion--,thomas ,boulsover of ,sheffield 7#agjd-aghh7--;,a world of knick-knacks--,the ,sheffield silver-plating process--,early ,sheffield plated productions--,joseph ,hancock--,the rise of the ,birmingham and other silver platers--,the commencement of the great period of ,sheffield plating--,contemporary silversmiths and their art4 ,it was in the year #agdc that a fortunate accident led to the discovery that copper and silver could be fused together1 and happily the value of the momentary happening led to the further development of the process and the final perfected invention of plating silver on copper which laid the foundation of a great and flourishing art industry which brought wealth and renown to ,sheffield and extended to other centres4 ,the old method of plating continued with various improvements for a hundred years until superseded4 ,during the years #agej to #agij some of the best examples were issued and a stream of fine work duplicating the silver plate of the period1 and not excluding examples simulating earlier ,queen ,anne styles1 was poured out4 ,its excellence of craftsmanship and its cheapness not only won the approval of the ,english public but attracted the attention of ,continental buyers1 and contemporary with the catalogues of ,joseph ,wedgwood issued in ,french and other languages we find that the ,sheffield and ,birmingham silver platers similarly issued illustrated catalogues with designs showing what they were producing4 ,thomas ,boulsover of ,sheffield 7#agjd-aghh74--;,according to some accounts ,thomas ,boulsover was a button maker1 a spur maker or a cutler1 probably he was all three1 and employed in the making of these and other metal articles then manufactured at ,sheffield4 ,he is spoken of as an ingenious mechanic4 ,he was probably a practical workman who had a small shop where articles were brought for repair4 ,it was in connection with the repair of a knife handle which was partly copper and partly silver that owing to an accident in the soldering the copper and the silver fused together4 ,although to his credit he immediately realized the possibilities of his discovery1 he was possibly too poor a man to do more than carry out further experiments in a small way and make buttons and snuff boxes and minor articles by his process4 ,his name is sometimes spelt as ,bolsover1 but it would appear that in the records at ,sheffield he registered under the name of ,thomas ,boulsover and ,co41 which is possibly more correct2 although in days when duchesses spelled their title as dutchess matters of a letter or two were not considered very important even in names4 ,the following extract from the ,derby ,mercury1 ,september #ag1 #aghh1 is an interesting obituary notice of ,boulsover3 ,on ,thursday se'night died at ,whitely ,wood1 near ,sheffield1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,bolsover aged eighty-four4 ,this ,gentleman was the first ,inventor of ,plated ,metal3 which like many other curious ,arts was discovered by ,accident4 ,about the year #agej 7at which ,time he kept a ,cutler's ,shop at ,sheffield71 ,mr4 ,bolsover was employed to repair a ,knife ,haft which was composed of ,silver and ,copper2 and having effected the ,job1 the cementing of the two ,metals immediately struck him with the practicability of manufacturing ,plated ,articles1 and he presently commenced a ,manufacture of plated ,snuff ,boxes and ,buttons4 ,consequently from ,mr4 ,bolsover's accidental ,acquirement1 the beneficial and extensive ,trade of plated goods had its origin4 ,he has been justly esteemed one of the most ingenious ,mechanics that ,sheffield can boast4 ,the name ,bolsover1 says the writer in the ,derby ,mercury1 suggests a ,derbyshire origin4 ,there is little doubt that among the earliest articles to which ,boulsover turned his attention were buttons4 ,silver was in the time of ,boulsover being sold at approximately six shillings per oz41 and1 in view of the cost of solid silver articles1 the invention of a presentable process that would lessen the cost came at an opportune moment4 ,it must be remembered1 too1 that there was a duty of sixpence per ounce upon silver4 ,in #aghd there was an additional duty of sixpence imposed4 ,in #ahjd the duty was increased to one shilling and sixpence per ounce1 and it is interesting to note that in #ahae by #ee ,george ,,iii1 cap4 #ahe the counterfeiting of the ,king's head duty mark was made a felony punishable by death4 ,nor did the invention1 although coming at a ripe moment when economies were desirable1 seem likely to receive financial support2 for the establishment of an industry on a great basis1 for the very same motives which necessitated economy1 prevented capital from being embarked on what might have been a hazardous enterprise4 ,at that time the country was in a disturbed condition4 ,in #agdb ,walpole's administration came to an end4 ,his fall was occasioned by his foreign policy1 which was based on friendship with ,france4 ,he was succeeded by ,carteret4 ,his ,drunken ,administration1 as it was termed1 was not likely to instil confidence in the country4 ,he cared solely for foreign politics4 ,what is it to me1 he said1 who is judge1 or who is bishop4 ,it is my business to make kings and emperors and to maintain the balance of ,europe4 ,in #agdd ,france declared war against ,england1 and preparations for war were made in ,america and ,india4 ,in #agde ,prince ,charles ,edward ,stuart1 the ,young ,pretender1 landed in ,scotland1 was given a public banquet by the ladies of ,edinburgh1 defeated ,sir ,john ,cope at ,prestonpans1 and marched across the border and through ,england as far as ,derby4 ,his troops must have passed through ,sheffield1 and with civil war in the heart of the country1 and at his threshold1 ,boulsover no doubt quietly pursued his vocation and added to his experiments4 ,he made snuff boxes and buttons1 and patch boxes1 and possibly buckles1 and waited for a better day4 ,it is interesting to notice the inauguration of our two great china factories about this date4 ,derby was not likely to commence a new industry with the ,pretender rattling his sabre in the city in #agde4 ,but we find ,worcester commencing operations in #agea1 followed by ,derby in #agef4 ,there is stated to have been a political significance in the advent of the former4 ,it appears that in the cathedral city in spite of its loyalty to the reigning house there was a growing ,jacobite influence4 ,it was thought that the establishment of a factory would enable the ,whigs to win the election contests which had gone to the ,jacobite party4 ,but we do not remember to have heard any such association with ,sheffield in regard to the establishment of the ,sheffield plating industry4 ,it seems to have been purely a trade venture and supported by local influence and capital4 ,it is not generally known that for a long period ,sheffield has made use of ,swedish iron for the manufacture of the best steel4 ,nor is it public property that ,made in ,sheffield frequently meant that razors1 knives1 surgical instruments1 scissors1 etc41 were made at ,solingen in ,germany1 and sent as blanks to be finished in ,sheffield4 ,the ,master ,cutlers of ,sheffield cannot have been aware of these happenings4 ,we speak of pre-war days when we have seen at ,solingen much that should shame ,sheffield4 ,in the early knife handles illustrated 7p4 #ea7 the sheet is very thin1 and the design is stamped and both halves of the handle soldered together4 ,the thin pointed steel blade is characteristic of old examples4 ,it had not yet arrived to the stage of the trade mark with name of firm made in ,sheffield4 ,there is a fault in design4 ,the object of ornament is to be seen and admired4 ,when these knives were set on a table1 the head of ,shakespeare in the medallion was upside down4 ,this is a small detail1 but details such as these were carefully studied at ,sheffield at a later date and ornament used to its fullest capacity4 ,in regard to the particular design of the head of ,shakespeare4 ,there is a reason for its existence4 ,it comes straight from the days of the great ,shakesperian revival by ,david ,garrick1 where in #agda he acted ,richard ,,iii for the first time4 ,quin and ,cibber were outshone by this new actor1 who drew the fashionable world of ,st4 ,james's to his little house in ,goodman's ,fields4 ,he became an idol4 ,in #agdb with ,mrs4 ,woffington he acted in ,dublin for a season and created a great sensation4 ,in #agdg he was joint lessee of ,drury ,lane ,theatre4 ,a ,chelsea figure represents him as ,richard ,,iii and1 in complement to the new worship of ,shakespeare who had been forgotten for a hundred years4 ,addison had omitted him from his ,account of the greatest ,english poets1 and ,steele did not include him in his essay ,a ,dream of ,parnassus in the ,spectator4 ,sheffield1 quick to seize an idea of marketable value1 stamped the little medallion of ,shakespeare on her knife handle with an eye to fashionable demands of the day4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,knives4 ,with steel blades and plated handles with medallion of ,shakespeare4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,buttons4 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,wine ,,label4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,buttons were also a strong feature in early days1 and continued as a leading feature to the end of the ,sheffield plated period4 ,firms were established in ,london who carried on this branch till quite a late date4 ,it is stated that a plated button was the first article made by ,boulsover4 ,in ,ireland ,john ,roche1 of ,usher's ,quay1 ,dublin1 also produced buttons in this style4 ,the designs were stamped according to order4 ,the illustration 7p4 #ea7 shows the type with copper shank firmly soldered on to the back4 ,possibly ,army buttons of the same date were similarly made4 ,collectors have a field here for search and research4 ,wine labels1 or as they were termed1 bottle tickets1 offer1 if not great variety of style of decoration1 certain curious indications as to the wines and liqueurs they were intended to label4 ,we illustrate a label used for ,madeira4 ,but some of the others were for wines either now known under more familiar names or forgotten altogether1 such as3 ,shrub1 ,bucellas1 ,xerez1 and others4 ,the patch boxes 7illustrated1 p4 #ee7 show the type of work executed in the early days4 ,the plating was carried out on the exterior2 the interior of these examples is bare copper4 ,the left-hand example shows in its ornament the swirls and curves of the rococo style which ,chippendale adapted and spiritualized in its translation4 ,the right-hand specimen owes something to ,dutch influence and to tobacco boxes which were common at the period4 ,it is a genre subject1 with the figure of a man standing and a lady reclining on a sofa4 ,the middle patch box is in tortoiseshell and silver1 and represents the fable of the ,fox and the ,crane4 ,the sides and base of this box are plated1 and1 as in the case of the others1 the interior is copper4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,patch ,,boxes4 #a4 ,rococo design with floral ornament4 ,interior of box copper4 #b4 ,tortoiseshell1 inlaid with silver4 ,fable subject3 ,fox and ,crane4 #c4 ,rococo border1 with figures of man and woman4 ,interior of box copper4 ,illustration3 ,,detail ,,of ,,above4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,a ,world of ,knick-knacks4--,the world of ,london and ,bath had set the fashion in trinkets1 as much affected by the masculine sex as by ladies of fashion4 ,buckles1 clasps1 etuis1 snuff boxes were made in gold or silver gilt4 ,but one ,christopher ,pinchbeck1 who died in #agcb1 a ,clock and ,watchmaker and ,toyman1 as he terms himself on his trade card with his engraved portrait1 became a specialist in reproductions and replicas4 ,it is of interest to quote the advertisement of the son of ,pinchbeck in the ,daily ,post1 ,november #ag1 #agcb1 as showing what articles he made of a metal in imitation of gold1 and with this as a parallel it will be possible to draw a conclusion as to the class of articles of a similar character which were made at ,sheffield at a slightly later period3 ,to prevent for the future the gross ,imposition that is daily put upon the public by a great ,number of ,shopkeepers1 ,hawkers1 and ,pedlars1 in and about this town1 ,notice is hereby given that the ingenious ,mr4 ,edward ,pinchbeck1 at the ,musical ,clock in ,fleet ,street1 does not dispose of one grain of his curious metal1 which so nearly resembles ,gold in ,colour1 ,smell1 and ,ductility1 to any person whatsoever2 nor are the ,toys made of the said ,metal sold by any one person in ,england except himself3 therefore ,gentlemen are desired to beware of ,impostors1 who frequent ,coffee ,houses1 and expose to sale ,toys pretended to be made of this ,metal1 which is a most notorious ,imposition upon the ,publick4 ,and ,gentlemen and ,ladies may be accommodated by the said ,mr4 ,pinchbeck with the following curious ,toys1 viz4 ,sword-,hilts1 ,hangers1 ,cane-,heads1 ,whip-,handles for ,hunting1 ,spurs1 ,equipages1 ,watch ,chains1 ,coat ,buttons1 ,shirt ,buttons1 ,knives and ,forks1 ,spoons1 ,salvers1 ,tweezers for ,men and ,women1 ,snuff ,boxes1 ,buckles for ,ladies' ,breasts1 ,stock ,buckles1 ,shoe ,buckles1 ,knee ,buckles1 ,girdle ,buckles1 ,stock ,clasps1 ,necklaces1 ,corrals4 ,the advertisement goes on to enumerate ,watches and ,astronomical ,clocks1 which newly invented ,machines are artfully contrived as to perform on several ,instruments great variety of fine ,pieces of ,musick composed by the most celebrated ,masters1 with that ,exactitude1 and in so beautiful a manner that scarce any hand can equal them4 ,they likewise imitate the sweet ,harmony of ,birds to so great a ,perfection as not to be distinguished from ,nature itself4 ,pinchbeck articles are now collected4 ,they display fine workmanship and artistic decoration1 and true to the asservation of the inventor they have kept their colour in a wonderful manner4 ,the ,sheffield ,silver ,plating ,process4--,it has been already shown that the superimposition of silver and gold on baser metals was not an unknown thing1 and that many old statutes exist to prevent such wares being substituted for solid gold and silver plate4 ,these earlier processes mainly depended on washing or laying on successive sheets or foils4 ,the ,boulsover process consisted in cutting off from a solid bar of copper a rectangular piece some three inches wide1 twelve inches long1 and about one inch in thickness4 ,this was pure soft copper and easy to work4 ,later an alloy was made with the addition of a sixth part of brass making the base or body harder4 ,one side of this copper block is carefully filed1 extreme cleanliness being employed to exclude any dirt from the surface4 ,a silver sheet of slightly lesser dimensions1 after being made thoroughly flat and kept perfectly clean on one side1 is laid on the copper with the two prepared surfaces fitting upon each other4 ,the silver was about a quarter of an inch in thickness4 ,over the silver is laid a piece of sheet iron the exact size of the silver4 ,the three sheets are then tightly bound together by means of iron wire4 ,the whole is then put into a furnace until it is red hot2 at the exact moment when it is considered by the skilled workmen that the two metals had properly fused together the block was carefully taken from the furnace and put aside for cooling4 ,it is obvious that if the workmen were careless and did not by constant practice know the correct length of time to allow the operation to continue in the furnace the result would have been a failure4 ,the silver1 instead of exactly fusing with the copper1 would run over the edges and leave patches where the two metals had not properly adhered4 ,it is the same in old processes such as the tempering of a sword4 ,there are no exact rules1 the craftsman must have a sure eye and be quick to act at a second's notice4 ,those who have witnessed the cabinet-maker in the exactitude with which he commands his mastery over glueing parts1 as is experienced in the manufacture of air-craft parts1 know that given perfect conditions of temperature and glue of indubitable character the parts cannot be separated4 ,similarly in the ,sheffield plating the silver adhered to the copper base and remained a component part and not a layer likely to be disturbed by future bending or hammering4 ,the next stage in the process was the process of passing these blocks under steel rollers in the rolling mills4 ,and during this operation it underwent several further stages of heating or annealing4 ,here again the workman has to ascertain to a nicety the exact moment to discontinue the firing1 otherwise all would be ruined and the silver be burnt off the face of the copper4 ,in glass blowing similar technical difficulties render the art one of great rapidity and quick judgment4 ,at the last stage1 by an act of misjudgment1 all the previous work might be wasted and the piece turn out a wreck4 ,the fire is a capricious agent4 ,in pottery it is the same4 ,many a vase after being elaborately painted by the artist and fired in the ovens1 owing to some accident1 comes out a distorted and misshapen mass4 ,the result of this ,sheffield plating was to produce a sheet which could be manipulated in the same manner as though it were solid silver4 ,the interiors of vessels1 it is true1 showed the copper1 but these were tinned till at a later date silver was placed on both sides of the copper and fused at the same operation in the furnace4 ,in regard to the ornament a good deal found on old ,sheffield plated ware was made by the use of dies1 such as feet1 handles1 knobs1 and were cast in two halves and soldered together prior to being affixed in their positions on the articles4 ,in other forms of decoration similar to that found on the silver plate of the day the same technique was employed in the repouss work in producing a raised design on the exterior1 that is1 by means of hammering against a sand-bag1 using a tool on the inside of the vessel4 ,chasing and engraving is done on the outside while the vessel is filled with sand or with some other composition4 ,this technique is not confined to ,sheffield plated articles2 it is the technique of the silversmith1 where repouss work receives its striking force by a tiny hammer from within the vessel2 chasing with sunk lines1 and elaboration and finishing the repouss design1 is done from the exterior4 ,in regard to designs1 the productions duplicate some of the finest plate4 ,at its best ,sheffield plate realized its artistic responsibilities4 ,it did not disseminate shoddy imitations of ,english plate4 ,its copies had the saving grace of being executed by men who understood the value of the originals4 ,they worked faithfully in a more economic medium1 but they did not debase the original design1 and they were too clever to add meretricious touches of their own and mar work which they must have loved or they could not have copied it so truly4 ,joseph ,hancock of ,sheffield4--,thomas ,boulsover claims our regard for his invention and his steady application to it on a minor plane4 ,but ,joseph ,hancock took longer views4 ,he was a member of the ,corporation of ,cutlers in ,sheffield1 and he it was who saw to what great uses the new invention could be put if handled on a great scale4 ,he made candlesticks1 teapots1 salvers1 and many other more important articles1 and by so doing he raised the process above the snuff-box and button level and established commercially the great industry for which ,sheffield has become famous4 ,mills were erected for rolling out the ingots1 skilled workmen were procured who had served their apprenticeship as silversmiths in ,london and elsewhere4 ,sheffield1 almost concurrently with the great impetus given to the making of plated silver ware1 began to make silver plate4 ,but such solid silver had to be conveyed to ,london to receive the marks of the ,goldsmiths ,company of ,london to denote its standard quality4 ,in regard to embarking on so novel an enterprise as raising a great industry founded on the designs of the silversmiths1 there must have been many forebodings as to legal possibilities4 ,the laws on the subject were very stringent4 ,persons had been fined and imprisoned in the reign of ,george ,,ii for manufacturing plate of lower value than the standard4 ,in #agda one ,drew ,drury of ,london stated that he was inadvertently concerned in making a stamp resembling the ,lion ,passant1 that he had never made any use of it1 and that he had caused it to be broken4 ,the ,wardens of the ,goldsmiths ,company did not accept his confession and proceeded against him4 ,among exceptions not required to be assayed were metal spouts to china1 stone or earthenware teapots and shirt buckles or brooches4 ,but silver shoe-clasps1 patch boxes1 salt shovels1 tea strainers1 caddy spoons1 bottle tickets 7wine labels71 and all buckles except the above mentioned were1 if silver1 to be assayed4 ,it is remarkable to find the ,sheffield silver platers somewhat incautiously flying in the face of the protective legislation in regard to silver plate and its marking4 ,in fact1 it appears that they recklessly placed three marks on some of the earlier ware resembling those on silver plate4 ,in #aggc a ,committee of the ,house of ,commons was appointed to inquire into the manner of conducting the several assay offices in ,london1 ,york1 ,exeter1 ,chester1 ,norwich1 and ,newcastle-upon-,tyne4 ,york1 ,exeter1 and ,norwich1 it was found1 were not in operation and had closed down4 ,in regard to evidence a ,mr4 ,w4 ,hancock1 a silversmith of ,sheffield1 said that his work had been injured by scraping4 ,he went to the ,goldsmiths ,hall of ,london and gave some drink to the ,assay ,master and scraper1 since which time his plate had been less damaged4 ,mr4 ,spilsbury said that scrapers had the opportunity to deliver to the assayer better silver than they scrape from the work1 and that the assayer had the opportunity of favouring what silversmith he pleased4 ,when his plate had been objected to he found that these difficulties were removed on giving drink at the ,hall4 ,this may be said to have been in keeping with the old tradition of the ,goldsmiths ,company of ,london1 for we read that in #acei one of the members of the ,fellowship was found guilty of mals outrages4 ,he prayed the mercy of the ,company and offered them ten tuns of wine4 ,he was duly forgiven on paying for a pipe of wine and twelve pence a week for one year to a poor man of the ,company4 ,the ,committee in their ,report found in regard to ,sheffield and probably ,birmingham that the artificers are now arrived at so great a perfection in plating with silver the goods made of base metal1 that they very much resemble solid silver1 and that if the practice which has been introduced of putting marks upon them somewhat resembling those used at the assay offices shall not be restrained1 many frauds and impositions may be committed upon the public4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlestick4 ,designed in ,adam style1 #agge4 ,from copper-plate engraving in old catalogue issued by ,sheffield makers to the ,continental markets4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,the result was to draw the teeth of the platers by appointing assay offices at ,sheffield and ,birmingham4 ,the penalties laid down in the ,act of #aggc put an end to silver plate being marked4 ,in #aghd another ,act was passed1 #bd ,george ,,iii1 cap4 #bj1 which had some interesting stipulations concerning silver plated ware4 ,whereas doubts have arisen whether a ,manufacturer of ,goods plated with ,silver can make or strike his ,name upon such ,goods without incurring the said ,penalty 7one hundred pounds73 and by reason of such ,doubts the ,manufacturers of ,goods plated with ,silver have been deterred from striking their ,names upon plated ,goods1 whereby a proper ,distinction betwixt plated ,goods of the different ,manufacturers is prevented1 and all ,emulation in that ,branch of ,business is destroyed3 to the certain and manifest ,prejudice of the said ,manufactory4 ,for obviating such ,doubts be it further enacted by the ,authority aforesaid1 that it shall be lawful for any ,manufacturer of ,goods plated with ,silver within the said town of ,sheffield1 or within ,one ,hundred ,miles thereof1 to strike or cause to be struck upon any ,metal ,vessel or ,thing plated or covered with ,silver1 his or her ,surname1 or1 in case of any ,partnership the name of the ,firm of such ,partnership1 and also some ,mark1 ,figure1 or ,device1 to be struck at the end of such ,surname1 or other ,name of ,firm3 such ,mark1 ,figure or ,device not being the same or in ,imitation of any ,mark made use of by any ,assay ,office established by ,law for assaying wrought ,plate1 without being subjected to any ,penalty or ,forfeiture for so doing2 any ,thing in the said ,act to the contrary hereof notwithstanding4 ,a later clause lays it down that it shall be ,provided that every such ,surname or ,name or ,firm as aforesaid1 shall be in plain and legible characters1 and struck with one ,punch only4 ,the clause within one hundred miles of ,sheffield included ,birmingham1 which gave a control to ,sheffield2 but the severe rules as to stamps being the surname or name of the firm made the marking of ,sheffield plated articles a cumbrous business and not much to the liking of the silver platers1 although it must be regarded as a compliment that they were legally compelled to mark their ware so carefully1 apparently for no other reason than that its resemblance to silver plate was so strong that it might be mistaken for the sterling article4 ,the ,rise of the ,birmingham and ,other ,silver ,platers4--,what ,joseph ,hancock did for ,sheffield ,matthew ,boulton did for ,birmingham4 ,prior to #aggc the mark used consisted of three stamps with two crowns and the letters ,b,f 7,boulton and ,fothergill72 in #aghd the mark was two suns struck in duplicate and was registered as ,m4 ,boulton and ,co4 at the ,sheffield ,assay ,office in accordance with the ,act of #aghd4 ,the #aggc ,act 7#ac ,george ,,iii1 cap4 #eb7 made no provision for the ,sheffield and ,birmingham platers1 but gave powers to the ,sheffield and ,birmingham ,assay ,offices4 ,certain portions of this were repealed1 and provision made for the marking of plated ware4 ,but this revision only applied to ,sheffield and for some reason ,birmingham was omitted1 therefore the ,birmingham platers1 although silver could be assayed at ,birmingham1 had to put themselves under the gis of the ,sheffield ,assay ,office4 ,hence we find ,boulton ,co4 registering at ,sheffield4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlestick4 ,from copper-plate engraving issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield plate makers to the ,continental markets4 ,date #agie4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,at ,nottingham the silver plating industry was established1 and in ,london it obtained so great a stronghold that although it was born in ,sheffield it died in ,london1 as the craftsmen1 although they found themselves somewhat moribund and a gradually dwindling body1 owing to the newest invention from ,sheffield--plating by electro-process--held on until some years after the new invention had extinguished the older styles elsewhere1 but in the end silver plating by fusion and rolled plate work succumbed4 ,in regard to ,ireland there is some evidence that an attempt was made to manufacture silver plate by fusion and rolling in the ,sheffield manner4 ,but very little fused plated ware was actually made in ,dublin4 ,certain premiums were offered by the ,irish government for light plate made in that country4 ,light plate evidently being understood to be plated ware4 ,there are numerous notices and advertisements in ,irish newspapers from about #agfj onwards announcing imports of ,sheffield plated goods4 ,there is no doubt that a considerable amount of ,sheffield plated ware was imported into ,ireland4 ,the records of one firm show that between #aghd and #ahjd plated articles to the value of #fj1jjj were exported from ,sheffield to ,ireland4 ,although the ,dublin directories of the period show many names of ,irish silver platers1 this is not evidence enough to establish the fact that any of these craftsmen worked in rolled plate2 there is every likelihood that they plated small articles in the old manner and later1 after the early years of the nineteenth century1 with the process known as close plating4 ,the name ,sly4 ,dublin appears on a steel meat skewer plated with silver belonging to these latter days4 ,there is1 too1 the possibility that some of the ,sheffield platers actually exported rolled plate in sheets1 though there is no direct evidence of this1 as it would have been somewhat suicidal to place in the hands of other artificers the material to convert into what would have been practically ,sheffield plated ware although made elsewhere4 ,but there is confirmation1 although somewhat meagre1 that plating by fusion was accomplished at ,dublin1 though apparently only practised to a small extent4 ,in #aggi the ,goldsmiths ,company of ,dublin complained of the great amount of plated goods imported1 and in #aghc the ,dublin ,society offered a premium of #aej1 being at the rate of #f per cent4 on value of ,irish plate and light plated goods manufactured in ,ireland1 by rollers1 between #aghb-c and #aghc-d4 ,the records show that on ,november #be1 #aghd1 the sum of #bd #gs4 was awarded to ,christopher ,haynes1 goldsmith1 of ,dublin1 being at the rate of #f per cent4 on the value of light plate goods entirely manufactured by him in ,ireland by rollers1 from #ast ,july1 #aghc1 to #ast ,july1 #aghd2 value #dje #ags4 #c;d4 ,it is further noted that a premium of #aa #ags4 #d;d4 was paid to ,john ,lloyd1 goldsmith1 of ,harolds ,cross1 ,dublin1 being #f per cent4 on value of light plated goods manufactured by him in ,ireland by rollers1 value #aig #cs4 #c;d42 and also premium of #b #bs4 #aa;d4 being #f per cent4 on value of plated goods manufactured by him in ,ireland by rollers1 value #ce #ajs4 ,in #agib ,a ,company of ,manufacturers in ,abbey ,street1 ,dublin1 advertise plated metal for ,button ,makers at #ds4 #d;d4 per pound4 ,the ,great ,period of ,silver ,plating4--,contemporary with the growth of ,sheffield plating were influences which were very stimulating in regard to the fine and the applied arts4 ,the quarter of a century from #agfe to #agij teems with rich inventiveness on every hand4 ,in #agfh ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds became the first ,president of the ,royal ,academy1 and he died in #agib4 ,his brilliant canvases1 with their ,titian colours1 and his children as graceful as those of ,correggio1 brought noonday into ,english art4 ,thomas ,chippendale's ,director was published in #aged1 and the translations of great ,french styles acclimatized in this country4 ,horace ,walpole built ,strawberry ,hill in #agej4 ,in #agic ,sheraton's ,cabinet ,maker's and ,upholsterer's ,drawing ,book appeared4 ,between these points a great influx of ornament and design burst upon the country4 ,flaxman was holding a mirror to the classic graces and ,wedgwood was translating them into clay4 ,brothers ,adam classicized certain parts of ,london4 ,the ,adelphi is typical4 ,david ,garrick lived in the ,adelphi ,terrace2 ,antonio ,zucchi painted his drawing-room ceiling1 and a white marble mantelpiece chimney piece cost three hundred pounds4 ,great engravers were working in mezzotint and in line3 stipple engravers under ,bartolozzi's influence produced gems of ,english art printed in colours4 ,a great outburst of work of permanent artistic quality stamps the period4 ,nor were the silversmiths behind in perpetuating glorious designs4 ,here then was the fine field in which the ,sheffield platers could browse for inspiration4 ,their results justify their existence4 ,how great the industry became is reflected by the series of ,design ,books issued showing the patterns that ,sheffield was able during a period of training of less than twenty years to send to the ,continent and that1 be it noted1 in the days of ,louis ,seize4 ,the illustrations of ,candlesticks from these ,design ,books illustrated 7pp4 #fe1 #fi1 #ge71 are described in detail in ,chapter ,,iii in relation to their technique and artistic features 7pp4 #hf1 #hi74 ,contemporary ,silversmiths and ,their ,art4--,for ten years of the reign of ,george ,,ii1 and from #agfj to for thirty years of the reign of ,george ,,iii1 ,english plate is remarkable for simple and practical designs embracing the exuberant ornament from the hand of ,paul ,lamerie and imbued with the classic spirit of ,robert ,adam4 ,its variety is a noticeable characteristic1 and silver plated replicas carry on the tradition until the second or decadent period when cumbersome and unwieldy design overloaded ornament1 and finicking details choked the fine inspirations that had come down from the past4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlesticks4 ,from old ,pattern ,book issued by ,r4 ,c4 ,co4 7,robert ,cadman ,co47 about #agig4 ,the prices of the above examples 7written in ink7 are given at #bjs4 and #des4 per pair4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,the cherubs' heads1 the satyrs1 the lion-masks1 and the engraved and pierced work of ,paul ,lamerie extended from #agdb4 ,thomas ,gilpin was noted for his fine scrollwork2 ,peter ,taylor has fine designs embodied in tea caddies engraved with ,chinese figures and embellished with shell ornament4 ,isaac ,duke with his sauce boats with handles formed as dragons and rich chasing and ornament holds high reputation4 ,john ,cafe1 ,edward ,wakelin1 ,john ,swift and ,george ,wickes all were of the middle eighteenth century and are well known4 ,daniells1 ,william ,shaw in #aghe1 ,orlando ,jackson and ,james ,wilkes carried on the traditions4 ,peter ,archambo1 who worked a decade or two previously1 had left a technique4 ,the designs of ,elston of ,exeter are still honoured4 ,at ,dublin1 ,r4 ,calderwood in #agej and ,william ,homer1 of ,dublin1 and ,john ,williams1 of ,cork1 twenty years later were producing masterpieces of delicate artistry4 ,and before the decadence came ,william ,plummer and ,paul ,storr4 ,it was therefore with no misgiving as to choice of rare design that the ,sheffield plate workers set out to immortalize the work of these men with no less courage than did ,mc,ardell and the great school of mezzotinters in regard to the canvases of ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds4 ,,iii ,,candelabra ,,and ,,candlesticks ,,early ,,types ,,the ,,adam ,,style ,,and ,,its ,,promulgation ,,to ,,the ,,continent ,,the ,,candelabrum ,,the ,,varieties ,,of ,,the ,,spiral ,,form ,,the ,,tri-,,form ,,candelabrum ,,the ,,chamber ,,candlestick ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,,the ,,table ,,candlestick ,,chapter ,,iii ,,candelabra ,,and ,,candlesticks ,early types--,the ,adam style and its promulgation to the ,continent--,the candelabrum--,the varieties of the spiral form--,the tri-form candelabrum--,the chamber candlestick--,the evolution of the table candlestick4 ,in commenting upon early types of ,sheffield plated candlesticks a good deal of past history has to go by the board4 ,one does not need to discuss pricket candlesticks of ecclesiastical form4 ,unfortunately the exquisite ,stuart examples1 the symmetrically ideal forms of the ,charles ,i period1 so rarely found1 and the finely balanced types of the ,charles ,,ii1 ,james ,,ii and the ,william period pass--as they were never duplicated by ,sheffield4 ,sheffield commences with ,george ,,ii and ,sheffield ended with ,george ,,iii4 ,happily the banalities of the early-,victoria era never encompassed her craftsmen4 ,therefore1 the early types of candlestick belong to the days of ,george ,,ii4 ,they belong to the days when ,boulsover looked to ,joseph ,hancock1 the master cutler1 for inspiration1 and ,joseph ,hancock the cutler of ,sheffield set out on a true path4 ,a certain modernity was in the air4 ,the year #agea had only #bhb days1 and the year #ageb only #cee4 ,the calendar was in process of reform4 ,joseph ,hancock's types of the early days 7we are speaking of #agej to #agfe7 must have been the ordinary types made by the great silversmiths1 though it may be imagined1 as though in leading strings1 ,sheffield gently pursued her way with experimental copying4 ,to come to technique there were the edges of the silver and copper plate1 an ugly witness of inferiority4 ,these must be hidden somehow by godrooned edges1 of solid silver maybe1 rather than show the poverty of the rolled plate4 ,if they were cast then there were the seams to screen from common observation4 ,to this day the seams denote the genuineness of the old plate4 ,dies came into being4 ,portions were cast1 ornaments were soldered together and attached to the article4 ,at first there was always the factor determinable enough by close inspection that the silver was only on one side of the copper4 ,the interior of vessels was copper1 which was tinned4 ,in candlesticks this was not a very formidable obstacle to successful imitation1 as the nozzles could be ,french plated and otherwise concealed4 ,the bottom could be plugged with a mahogany post and filled with solder1 could be covered with shellac at the base and have a fine baize screen from all obtrusive gazers4 ,but ,sheffield soon got above and beyond any of these artifices4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlestick4 ,one of a pair1 with finely shaped facets1 decorated with leaf ornament4 ,date #aghe4 7,in the possession of ,g4 ,h4 ,wallis1 ,esq41 ,f4,s4,a47 ,it is curious how collectors have come to love the candlestick1 possibly it is because it represents something that vanished during the horrible era of the gas chandelier and the paraffin lamp1 and has been resuscitated in later days in the form of an electric chandelier or in electric standards4 ,electricity has galvanized the old candlestick and the antique candelabrum into life4 ,the ,dutch hanging brass pendants are now one of the stock lines of the electric fitter who furnishes the villa in pseudo-,jacobean or pseudo-,georgian style4 ,the shopwalker or his satellites will pronounce empirically upon styles with the surety of an encyclopdia4 ,in consequence all electric lights are hall-marked with periods3 they are ,adams 7sic71 or ,chippendale1 or ,sheraton4 ,possibly collectors of another age may find shoddy written over a lengthy period of our modern fitments for illumination4 ,the ,adam ,style and its ,promulgation4--,that ,sheffield did great things in candlesticks is shown by a visit to the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum4 ,one of the finest examples of the classic style with urn shaped nozzle with classic pilaster column1 both urn and base decorated with festoons in classic style1 of the period of #aghb1 is a ,sheffield silver candlestick4 ,sheffield was undoubtedly making fine silver candlesticks and candelabra at this period1 and this is not unimportant in regard to the consideration of what she did as an echo of such work4 ,during the last twenty years of the eighteenth century her output was of the highest character4 ,since #aggc1 as we have shown1 ,sheffield had stood on her dignity as the proud possessor of an assay office with all the newly acquired rights of silversmiths jealous of infringements on so close a corporation4 ,this had1 without doubt1 an enormous influence on the quality of the work perpetrated by the silver platers4 ,sheffield made a bid to become a silversmiths' centre and she has not lost her ancient ambitions to-day4 ,in the illustration given 7p4 #fe7 of a candlestick from a copper-plate engraving of pure ,adam style1 in date about #agge1 it is seen how far ,sheffield had advanced to be able to send such pattern books with designs broadcast to buyers of her ware on the ,continent of ,europe4 ,this and another illustration 7p4 #fi7 indicate the class of candlestick ,sheffield was prepared to export4 ,sheffield had not snatched at renown1 she had won it4 ,a series of ,design ,books of the period1 from which we reproduce illustrations1 establish the fact that ,sheffield plated wares were as acceptable on the ,continent as being something especially ,english1 as were the equally original products of ,wedgwood in pottery1 and at a later date the ,ironstone ,ware of ,mason1 where it is said that he inflicted more injury upon the ,french potters than did the ,english fleet under ,nelson4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two lights detachable for use of standard as a single light4 ,removable nozzles4 ,date about #ahjj4 ,showing signs of copper owing to bad usage4 7,in the collection of ,author47 ,these are trade matters1 but interesting withal1 as they show the rapid rise under careful and patient intuition of skilled craftsmen whose resplendent models tempted the ,continent to buy our replicas where perhaps the original work was either not proffered for sale or was too expensive for the continental market4 ,we give another illustration 7p4 #ge7 of two table candlesticks1 #agig in date1 sent out1 as the catalogue states1 by ,r4 ,c4 ,co4 7,robert ,cadman and ,company74 ,in one example we have the favourite design of the ostrich feathers beloved of ,hepplewhite and others in the chair backs of the same period4 ,the classic influence of ,adam is waning4 ,there is nothing purely ,grecian in the column4 ,the ,ionic pillar has long since disappeared4 ,we have something as a substitute in design4 ,the ,maltese cross as a novelty finds itself as a feature in the design4 ,it is composite1 it is in a measure feeble in comparison with previous designs4 ,it marks the oncoming period4 ,it is just the sign of something confused in the design4 ,we shall soon see something not only confused but extremely mixed and utterly banal with false and meretricious ornament1 with little meaning except that here it stands1 as ornament or as attempt at ornament1 but as to balance or symmetry--that has been irretrievably lost4 ,the age of decadence no one can explain4 ,one marvels as much at ineptitude as at beauty in design4 ,happily the ,sheffield designers went backwards for some of their designs in a period that threatened decadence4 ,the smaller of the candlesticks 7illustrated1 p4 #ge7 suggests the reticence and simplicity of a brass candlestick of the ,stuart period4 ,as such it must be regarded4 ,it stands quietly unassailable in its ,english dignity4 ,a fine clean-cut example1 in date #aghe1 of pure design1 with facets sharply cut and decorated with acanthus leaf design in due subjection1 is illustrated 7p4 #hc74 ,the urn stem and the urn nozzle determine the period1 and the candlestick stands on a fine round base4 ,its clear defined reticence is almost like cut steel work on a minor plane of the same period1 such as frames to cameos and later adapted to purses and chatelaines4 ,cut steel mounts to clock faces belonged to the coming ,empire days4 ,here1 in this candlestick illustrated1 is an indication of facetted work as clean cut as glass1 which in its working and in its technique is a metal too4 ,the ,candelabrum4--,whatever may have been the varieties of the hanging candelabrum in ,dutch interiors1 finely wrought brass and copper with a variety of designs always pleasing and so attractive as to find a ready duplication as a modern electric light candelabrum1 we do not find the table candelabrum at an early date in ,england4 ,as days went on it became massive1 and had seven or eight lights4 ,old engravings depict ,jewish and other candelabra as standing on the ground1 sometimes of great height and with many lights1 but for domestic use their acceptance as table or sideboard lights came in the middle eighteenth century1 in ,georgian days with great spread of mahogany and massive furniture4 ,they seem almost related to the ,adam resuscitation of classic candelabra on tripod feet4 ,but most of the massive ,sheffield plated examples bear relationship to ,hogarthian pre-,chippendale mahogany1 and solid sideboards groaning with silver1 engirt with monteiths and punch bowls and all the equipments of a period when members of ,parliament hiccupped their speeches in the ,house1 and when fox-hunting and port-drinking squires drank each other under the table4 ,the evolution of the candelabrum from its simple form with two lights to its conclave of twelve is as interesting as the evolution of the gate-leg table during a somewhat longer period4 ,in regard to practicability1 as has been pointed out to the writer1 some of the later replicas overdo the number in the attempt to be ornate1 and if filled with candles and lighted they would burn each other4 ,this is an interesting fact as indicating that sometimes in his attempt to be original the modern fabricator invents something that could never have been used4 ,for1 after all1 our ancestors1 however handicapped they were by want of illuminative mechanism1 were never so foolish as to employ candelabra that would cause guttering by one candle firing another on account of its close proximity4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,branched with seven lights4 ,a square base with ball feet4 ,fluted decorations on column4 ,date #ahbj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with five lights3 on hexagonal base with claw feet4 ,nozzles urn-shaped1 richly decorated4 ,column with acanthus leaf and diaper ornamentation4 ,date #ahaj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,in considering candelabra1 the ordinary branched three-light candelabrum is interesting1 and many forms follow each other indicating the steady progress onwards4 ,the example illustrated 7p4 #hg7 is capable of being used as a single candle or as two lights4 ,it is in the usual nomenclature of the trade termed a three-light candelabrum1 though only two lights are capable of being used at the same time4 ,the nozzles are removable4 ,now the removable nozzle was not introduced into silver plate until about #ageh1 when the tall ,corinthian column types first had this invention4 ,but the example under notice has other indications to place it about #ahjj4 ,it has the slight suggestions of oncoming ,empire style1 the commencement of a return to austerity1 a poverty of design1 and the urns and nozzles betray the newer forms of ornament4 ,the oval bases and the touch of floriate ornament under the nozzle urns have their indicative note4 ,it will be observed that the camera1 with more penetration than the human eye1 has brought out the thinness of the plate1 and it is here represented in the illustration4 ,it denotes perhaps less of a delinquency on the part of the plater or a flaw in his technique than a grave indictment against generations of housemaids who have used metal polish which contained mercury or some other noxious compound inimical to the longevity of the superimposed silver4 ,so here it is indicating a last stage of its simulation and the base copper peeps forth triumphantly4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,one of a pair4 ,two-light3 about #agij4 ,fluted column handwork4 ,fluted leaf ornament on cups1 with ,gothic looped branches surmounted by an acorn4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,a glorious candelabrum of massive form branched with seven lights on square base with ball feet is in date about #ahbj 7illustrated1 p4 #ia74 ,the grease cups indicate its late date1 and underneath is the same bud-like floriate ornament we noticed in the last example4 ,but in addition to give it yet a later date is the broken branch with ball-like ornament4 ,it is a fine example1 especially noteworthy as being representative of a period just before a decadence of design set in which thrusts the collector out and freezes any interest he may take in perfect technique by reason of a fearfulness he has of banal design4 ,a splendid example of a candelabrum with five lights1 one of a pair is illustrated 7p4 #ic74 ,the late classic influence from ,pompeii derivative through ,french sources is here evident4 ,the tripod stand terminates on claw feet embellished by a floriated winged design4 ,the column has a richness almost akin to the worker in ormulu4 ,the base is decorated with acanthus leaf ornament1 followed by ordinary fluting which breaks off in the centre of the pillar4 ,the upper portion is decorated in a diaper pattern and the capital is a fluted urn1 from which spring the branches4 ,the grease pans are richly godrooned1 and here the feature underneath is noticeable1 the little circular boss beneath the pans4 ,at a later date the grease pan disappeared1 but the little rosette was left4 ,this is especially noticeable in the example in date #ahjj 7illustrated1 p4 #hg74 ,the grease pans have become too diminutive to be of use1 but there is sufficient suggestion of their presence left to disturb the fine proportions of the urn above4 ,the fluted branches have an added ornament which it is charitable to believe was placed there for practical reasons to give added strength to the branches1 but denotes a wavering in design from exquisite1 unbroken curves4 ,ornate as this great candelabrum is1 possessing design carried out with cunning technique1 there are restless elements in its conception1 which mark it as belonging to a transition period4 ,the ,varieties of the ,spiral ,form4--,there is something peculiarly interesting in following the variation of spiral forms in the branched candelabra from the early days until at the last they sank into mediocrity and became in the last stages little better than what was afterwards the standard pattern of the mid-,victorian gas bracket or gas chandelier1 with its meaningless branched arms and its fulsomeness of meretricious ornament1 a form1 be it said1 actually copied by the early electricians till they learned better and walked serenely in the paths of old design4 ,it would appear that at first the spiral curl of the branched candelabrum was in due subjection1 that is to say1 it was a well considered part of a complete design4 ,it fell within the four corners of a set harmonious whole4 ,it did not detract from the whole by any eccentricity1 nor did it attract especial attention except as a factor in an ensemble4 ,for instance1 take three examples and examine them minutely4 ,the first is on one of a pair1 in date #agij 7illustrated1 p4 #ig74 ,the convolutions of the spirals are apparently intricate till one more closely realizes that they approximate to the ,gothic designs then being promulgated by ,chippendale4 ,the top loop forming a circle1 the side loops forming similar circles1 the intersections of these and the lower arcs forming an angle over the urn-ornamented nozzle are little other than the loops and angles forming the tracery of a ,gothic design which might with little addition be the leadwork of a window4 ,these same designs may1 with an observant eye1 be traced in fanlights and doorways in the suburbs of ,london where the middle and late eighteenth century styles still linger in the faades and in the railings4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two lights3 having branches with interlaced spiral design as central ornament4 ,date #agij4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two lights3 having ,s-shaped branches interlacing at centre4 ,date #agij4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plate ,,candelabrum4 ,two lights1 oval base1 removable nozzles1 fluted lobes1 and single spiral branches4 ,date #agij4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,take another example still in date about #agij 7illustrated1 p4 #aja72 here the base is an urn and the single-candle standard form nothing very especially removed from a design very beloved by the brass turners of a slightly later date4 ,but it is the branched form which commands respect as a piece of decorative ornament4 ,its ,c-shape spirals interlace at centre and form a pleasing ornament4 ,its simplicity and grace are at once apparent4 ,it has the practicability that it is not readily injured by ill-usage4 ,its wearing parts are confined to a narrow space4 ,among all the spiral forms there is nothing1 however elaborate1 that excels this in grace4 ,it is almost honeysuckle like in conventional ornament4 ,we have seen the ironworker spin such reticent spirals1 but in the silversmiths' work it is rare to find this form4 ,another #agij design 7illustrated1 p4 #aja7 carries the loops out in such a manner as to suggest an elongated urn4 ,the oviform intersection of the loops1 plain and formal though they appear at first glance1 do not come into such a severe classic position by mere accident4 ,the low dropping loops afford just that contrast and upward spring which make the intersection1 and give it its maximum ornament as two bands enclosing a space1 which space is in itself a component part of the ornament to the candelabrum4 ,two fine examples illustrated 7pp4 #ajc1 #ajg7 exhibit respectively the fine use of the twisted form in the arms4 ,they are both two-light candelabra with central vase ornament4 ,in the former with single loops the vase is very properly left nearly level with the apex of the arms4 ,this would have been a blemish in the other example illustrated 7p4 #ajg71 where the vase ornament is larger and carries off the strong double twisted design in the arms4 ,this example is original in its treatment of curves and carries the idea to the utmost limit4 ,beyond this the ornament became disastrous and added a note of eccentricity to otherwise well-balanced designs4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,candelabrum4 ,two lights3 oval base1 acanthus leaf decoration in column4 ,double spiral branches4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,when the loop went awry1 as it did1 it became an excrescence4 ,in two examples this is shown in varying stages of decadence4 ,it is obvious that the designer had lost sight of the fact that the curved loops could so be manipulated as to become an integral part of the design and contribute to its harmony4 ,the same thing happens in regard to chair-backs4 ,it was here that ,chippendale proved himself a prince of designers4 ,it was not so much what he put in as what he left out4 ,in other words1 take a great design of one of his superlative chair-backs and let the eye trace the spaces1 that is the space form1 trying if possible to eliminate the concrete solid design4 ,the silhouette of the outlines of the spaces are really the key to the justness and beauty of the design4 ,if one could remove the mahogany portions of an intricate carved back and placing it against a black sheet retain the beautiful outline of the spaces1 the result1 example after example1 would be a design book in itself as fascinating as a book of ,japanese stencil plates4 ,in the example #agie1 with the three lights 7illustrated1 p4 #aaa7 there is little to quarrel with the design except that the long stem and wanton simplicity and lack of grace suggest the cast iron standard which effect is carried out by the common place spiral leading to the central light1 which1 by reason of its curves1 attracts an attention to itself which is unwarranted by any special beauty it possesses4 ,it is a blemish4 ,it has no meaning as a curve and it detracts from a simplicity which otherwise the candelabrum might possess4 ,the other example illustrated 7p4 #aaa7 has unmeaning spiral design utterly vitiating an otherwise harmless candelabrum4 ,its spirals run riot and offer nothing pleasing4 ,they stand as an attempt undoubtedly original on the part of the designer to produce something effective as a novel design4 ,the style otherwise of the candlestick does not suggest that the craftsman had a hold upon sound design1 but we might pass that4 ,we are extremely thankful to know that nobody seems to have continued this style4 ,in all possibility1 by the laws of practical usage1 the housemaid placed her vengeance on the offending spiral arms with no support and they broke in halves4 ,the same servitor teaches the offending potter a lesson when1 in vessels intended for everyday use1 he adds ornament that is unduly projecting in handle or in spout4 ,they pass into the heap of shards because common utility abhors useless ornament4 ,as a comparison with other forms of branched candelabra and as exemplifying the completed mastery the artist craftsman had over his design and its execution1 two examples of rare form and character are illustrated 7p4 #aac74 ,the two-light candelabrum is of unusual shape1 the standard being a full-bodied urn on which stands another urn4 ,branches issue from the lower urn and in their intersections form beautiful curves of pleasing form4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with three lights3 having central branch with corkscrew spiral4 ,standard of unusual form4 ,date #agie4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two lights3 having elongated spiral branches interlacing at centre4 ,date #agij-agie4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlestick4 ,on oval base1 with standard in form of lyre4 ,threaded oval cups and nozzles4 ,date #agie4 ,height #aj in4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two lights3 having ,s-shaped branches1 with standard in form of vase surmounted by another vase ornament4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,the single candlestick 7illustrated1 p4 #aac71 has another adaptation of curves in ornament4 ,the standard springs from a circular base and is in the form of a lyre which supports an urn-shaped nozzle4 ,this form undoubtedly is derivative from ,french sources4 ,we find it in ornaments to metal clock cases1 and it bespeaks the ,sheraton period in possessing a grace and finesse associated with the designs of ,louis ,seize that he acclimatized in this country4 ,the ,tri-,form ,candelabrum4--,the candelabrum with three branches has been found capable of much variation in character4 ,these branches have had the advantage of being able to conform to conventional usages in regard to a triangular conformation and a trifid ornament4 ,it is a favourite device in art from the lotus leaf of the ,buddhist emblems to the fleur-de-lys4 ,the love of a threefold ornament appealed to the wood-carver1 and it is found on sprigs decorating porcelain4 ,the use of three balancing adjuncts in ornament is universal1 apart from the deeper or symbolical meaning of such forms4 ,in the example illustrated 7p4 #aag71 in date #ahje1 the three curved branches spring upwards and the lights are all level4 ,this form is typical of some of the best three-branched candelabra then made4 ,it is solid and massive1 and has no false or overloaded ornament4 ,it is dignified and imposing4 ,the other example1 in date #ahaj1 illustrated on the same page1 betrays at once classic influence4 ,the old models of ,herculaneum and ,pompeii had been eagerly refashioned as something new in the ,first ,french ,empire4 ,the portrait of ,madame ,rcamier by ,david shows her sitting on an empire settee with a tall standing candelabrum at its foot4 ,the couch is a replica of old ,roman stone forms and the candelabrum is a duplicate of a ,pompeian style on tripod feet4 ,the candelabrum illustrated has a stand consisting of three tapering legs reeded1 and ending in claw feet4 ,this supports an urn which in its turn supports another1 which latter can be used as a light4 ,from the lower urn proceed three branches1 spread out in triangular manner4 ,a later candelabrum with two arms and centre light1 illustrated 7p4 #aba7 betrays every sign of bad design4 ,the floral scroll work is hard and offensive4 ,the leaf and shell ornament at base is equally unsatisfactory4 ,it was this form that survived as it came on the threshold of the era of illumination by coal-gas4 ,it was about this date that ,sir ,walter ,scott lit ,abbotsford by gas4 ,his application of gaslight to the interior of a dwelling house was in fact attended by so many inconveniences1 says ,lockhart his biographer1 that ere long all his family heartily wished it had never been thought of4 ,the effect of the apparatus was at first superb4 ,in sitting down to table in autumn no one observed that in each of three chandeliers there lurked a tiny bead of red light4 ,dinner passed off1 and the sun went down1 and suddenly at the turning of a screw1 the room was filled with a gush of splendour worthy of the palace of ,aladdin2 but as in the case of ,aladdin1 the old lamp would have been better in the upshot4 ,jewelry sparkled1 but cheeks and lips looked cold and wan in this fierce illumination2 and the eye was wearied and the brow ached if the sitting was at all protracted4 ,i confess1 however1 that my chief enmity to the whole affair1 continues ,lockhart1 arises from my conviction that ,sir ,walter's own health was damaged in his latter years in consequence of his habitually working at night under the intense and burning glare of a broad star of gas4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with three lights3 having spiral branches interlacing at centre4 ,circular base terminating in vase ornament4 ,date #ahje4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with four lights3 having spiral branches on tripod column with claw feet1 standing on hexagonal base4 ,date #ahaj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,the ,chamber ,candlestick4--,this form has had a long survival and up to quite a recent date1 before the adoption of electricity1 a row of earthenware candlesticks formed part of the appurtenances of the hall or corridor of any provincial hotel4 ,the illustration 7p4 #abc7 entitled ,serena1 from an engraving by ,j4 ,r4 ,smith after ,romney's picture1 shows a fair reader1 entranced in some old world romance1 illuminated by the light of a single candle1 as injurious in its faint glimmer as was the glare of the gas to ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,romney painted ,miss ,sneyd as ,serena at a date between #aggj and #agij4 ,the form of the candlestick in the print1 it will be seen1 differs somewhat from the ,sheffield plate examples illustrated on the same page4 ,the example with the circular nozzle and circular base is in date about #ahaj1 and the two others with square nozzles and square bases are in date respectively #ahae and #ahbe4 ,they are ornate in their ornament1 and have silver filled mounts and edges4 ,the example of the latest date is silver gilt4 ,the ,evolution of the ,table ,candlestick4--,the table candlestick is of long lineage4 ,the ,sheffield plated examples cover the last hundred years of the existence of the candlestick as a means of domestic lighting4 ,during this period1 especially during that portion from #agfe to #agij a brilliant procession of fine designs in silver1 made under the direction of highly inspired artist-craftsmen1 exhibits a flexibility of ornament and a diversity of character rarely equalled in ,english metal work covering so short a period of time4 ,it embraces the traditions of the ,queen ,anne period still retained in the types carried on in the reign of ,george ,,ii as robust as were the designs in mahogany in ,chippendale's early manner following the broader splats and swelling lines of the ,hogarthian period4 ,with the ,adam influence reticent decoration eminently fitted to grace and embellish table ornament made its permanent impression on the period1 tinctured with inclinations towards flowing lines--the ribbon decorations of the carved wood chair-back1 or later the subtle graces of boudoir art reflected in the designs of ,thomas ,sheraton4 ,and with the steady flow of models of table candlesticks reflecting the exuberance and native originality of a crowded art-period the creations of the potters were running concurrently in emulation of silver4 ,chelsea and ,bow produced candlesticks environed with peasant maids and shepherdesses1 in the technique appertaining to the clay1 rich in colours and pleasing in effect4 ,wedgwood produced table candlesticks in black and blue jasper ware with cameo decorations in white1 or finely modelled classic figures in basalt in which candelabra were embodied1 and running through the period are the competitive creations of table candlesticks as an echo of silver forms by the glass-worker4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candelabrum4 ,with two arms and centre light4 ,arms curved and ornamented with floral scroll work4 ,base plain1 with circular band of silver leaf and shell ornament4 ,height #bd in4 ,width #bd in4 ,date #ahbj4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,illustration3 ,,serena4 7,from an old print47 ,engraved by ,j4 ,r4 ,smith1 after ,romney4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,chamber ,,candlesticks4 ,gilt3 silver-filled1 gadroon and shell edges4 ,date #ahbe4 ,circular base1 vase-shaped nozzle1 silver-filled mounts4 ,date #ahaj4 ,square base1 ornate silver-filled mounts2 single plate4 ,date #ahae4 ,the series of illustrations of the various types of ,sheffield plated table candlesticks do little more than approximately indicate the rapidly changing styles in a period so richly inventive in decorative ornament4 ,in the group illustrated 7p4 #abg7 the example on the left1 in date #agfe1 is on a square base with cluster columns and leaf capitals4 ,the example on the right is in date #aggj4 ,the base is round4 ,it is here that the plater has exercised his ingenuity in fine reticent die work1 and the edging is delicately beaded4 ,the candlestick in the centre has a square base1 with fine batswing fluting1 and square-shaped columns ornamented with classic medallions4 ,the nozzle has a character of its own in having a rim which is pierced4 ,the illustrations 7p4 #abi7 show other forms in process of evolution4 ,the tall ,corinthian column made a handsome table ornament4 ,the example on left is one of a set of four1 twelve and a half inches high4 ,the bases are square and are decorated in clever die work with rosettes and festoons carried around the pyramidal base4 ,this type has cluster columns terminating in capitals decorated with formal leaf design4 ,the adjacent candlestick is a form found about #agij4 ,the base is square and fluted1 and the column is in classic style terminating in a capital in ,ionic style1 with volutes springing out of twisted leaves and husks4 ,the third example in the upper row is about #agie in date4 ,the base is square and follows the same classic suggestions of previous types4 ,the capital is square and fluted1 and is decorated with conventional floral ornament4 ,the nozzle is urn shaped4 ,the three lower examples of the period from #ahaj to #ahcj show signs of debasement in form4 ,the bases have now become circular4 ,each candlestick has certain beauties in it1 little touches which invite respect and regard1 but each also contains blemishes detracting from the exact symmetry which was the character of the earlier types4 ,the floriate decoration as an ornament to the lower half of the column in the first example may be passed4 ,in the second it has grown into an unpleasing excrescence1 and the base is decorated in a florid manner disturbing to the eye4 ,the last example has lost that fine feeling dependent on the easy flow of simple line4 ,it is composite in character1 it betrays a lack of inspiration4 ,it is a very poor relation to the fine table candlesticks of the earlier period1 where the beauty wins and fascinates4 ,there is no such grace and distinction in these late examples1 but they doubtless reflected the silver fashions then prevalent1 which were in the main execrable in taste4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlestick4 ,with broken fluted column on square base with ball ornament4 ,nozzle richly decorated with acanthus leaf design4 ,date #agfe4 ,height #aj in4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,candlesticks4 ,with square base1 batswing fluting1 square-shaped column with medallion1 and having unusual nozzle with pierced gallery4 ,date #agie4 ,height #ab in4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,with circular base1 column and nozzle fluted1 ornamented with bead edging at base1 column and nozzle4 ,date #aggj4 ,height #aj in4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,group ,,of ,,candlesticks1 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated4 ,exhibiting types and variation in style for fifty years4 ,upper ,row-- #aghj4 ,broken fluted column4 ,acanthus leaf decoration1 square base1 medallion and ribbon ornament4 #agij4 ,square base1 broken fluted column1 terminating in ,ionic capital4 #agie4 ,square base1 tapering column fluted1 surmounted by urn nozzle4 ,lower ,row-- #ahaj4 ,circular base1 spiral fluting1 lobe decoration1 urn-shaped nozzle retained4 #ahbj4 ,circular base1 with bulbous column heavily decorated with floral scrolls4 #ahcj4 ,broken circular base1 onion-shaped column1 bulbous ornament4 ,,iv ,,salt ,,cellars ,,and ,,mustard ,,pots ,,the ,,salt ,,cellars ,,the ,,pattern ,,books ,,of ,,sheffield ,,the ,,new ,,style ,,of ,,table ,,salt ,,cellar ,,the ,,mustard ,,pot ,a ,,bid ,,for ,,the ,,continental ,,trade ,,chapter ,,iv ,,salt ,,cellars ,,and ,,mustard ,,pots ,the salt cellars--,the pattern books of ,sheffield--,the new style of table salt cellar--,the mustard pot--,a bid for the ,continental trade4 ,there is nothing so ancient and so massive about the salt cellars that ,sheffield made as there is in the old styles beloved by the collector of rare silver plate4 ,there are no standing salts in ,sheffield plate1 such as those treasured at the ,universities1 or brought out on state occasions at the dinners of the great ,london ,companies4 ,there is nothing in the eighteenth century in silver approaching the grandeur affected by the standing salt and its place of honour at the tables when those who sat above the vessel and those who sat below it were of different status4 ,the trencher salts of a later day were more democratic2 they were smaller and they answered the practical purpose of serving salt to the diners4 ,but they had nothing of the stateliness of the great standing salt with its ritual as fixed as that of the loving cup which circulated1 although the salt was a permanent fixture4 ,those who sat below the salt were either the ,greek chorus or they were preposterous shadows lengthening in the noon-tide of one's prosperity4 ,they were poor relations1 a blot on your scutcheon1 a rent in your garment1 a death's head at your banquet4 ,charles ,lamb touches on the late eighteenth century phase of the dependent below the salt4 ,he casually looketh in about dinner-time--when the table is full4 ,he offereth to go away seeing you have company--but is induced to stay4 ,he filleth a chair1 and your visitor's two children are accommodated at a side-table4444 ,he declareth against fish1 the turbot being small--yet suffereth himself to be importuned into a slice1 against his first resolution4444 ,he is a puzzle to the servants1 who are fearful of being too obsequious1 or not civil enough to him4 ,the guests think they have seen him before4 ,he calleth you by your ,christian name1 to imply that your other is the same as his own4 ,he is too familiar by half1 yet you wish he had less diffidence4 ,with half the familiarity he might pass for a casual dependent2 with more boldness he would be in no danger of being taken for what he is4 ,he is too humble for a friend1 yet taketh on him more state than befits a client4 ,he is a worse guest than a country tenant1 inasmuch as he bringeth up no rent4 ,when the company breaks up1 he proffereth to go for a coach--and lets the servant go4 ,he recollects your grandfather1 and will thrust in some mean and unimportant anecdote of the family4 ,he knew it when it was not quite so flourishing as 'he is blest in seeing it now4' ,he is of opinion that the urn is the more elegant shape2 but after all1 there was something more comfortable about the old tea kettle--which you must remember4 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,salt ,,cellars4 ,from an old ,pattern ,book issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers to ,continental markets4 ,the volume contains #hf full-page plates in copper engraving1 illustrating various ,sheffield plated articles4 ,date about #aghd4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,what a picture1 graphic and piquant1 of the closing years of the eighteenth century4 ,had the great standing salt survived how ,elia would have revelled in his sly whimsical manner in portraying the exactitude with which it was fixed as a thermometer to register the correctitude of degrees of social affinity with the host4 ,but the scattered plebeian trencher salts1 as was the urn1 which succeeded the copper kettle1 were of the days when ,sheffield and the silversmiths ran neck and neck4 ,the ,pattern ,books of ,sheffield4--,advertisement is often considered to be of modern origin4 ,in the twentieth century it is true it has taken to itself attributes which might very well have been eliminated4 ,the press is the fourth estate1 and its power for good or evil is illimitable4 ,it is obnoxious to find a page of advertisement printed on the cheap edition of a novel4 ,it is a stab in the vitals to read an insidiously worded article carefully printed in an evening paper and find it only an advertisement4 ,there is a ,plimsoll mark in advertising1 and modernity has not always agreed as to where this should be placed4 ,there were advertisements in the journals of the days of ,charles ,,ii4 ,in ,anne's day in the ,spectator we find on ,june #b1 #agab1 advertisements concerning a preparation for polishing and setting ,razors1 ,penknives1 and ,lancets1 not to be paralleled1 being much more durable and smooth1 never growing rough by using1 but setting ,razors with greater ,fineness and ,exactitude than any other sort possibly can4 ,price #as4 each4 ,sold only by ,mr4 ,allcrafts1 a ,toy ,shop at the ,blue-,coat ,boy against the ,royal ,exchange in ,cornhill and ,mr4 ,paishon1 a ,stationer at the ,maypole in the ,strand4 ,sheffield goes back to #afbd1 when the ,cutlers ,company was incorporated by ,act of ,parliament4 ,cutlery and tools were the great features1 but later there grew up a special branch known as steel toys4 ,button-hooks1 corkscrews1 key rings1 nut-crackers1 swivels and spring hooks1 and many other articles4 ,here then was the foundation of trade long established and trade customs long in operation4 ,it is not therefore surprising to find that when the great impulse came with factories and mills arising on every hand for rolling plate and manipulating it into shapes acceptable to the world of fashion1 that ,sheffield rose to the occasion4 ,her catalogues1 beautifully engraved and costly to produce1 were embellished with designs of examples she was prepared to export to the ,continent4 ,from these ,pattern ,books we get a very interesting sidelight into the intricacies of the business side of the undertakings which were evidently on colossal proportions4 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,salt ,,cellars4 ,from an old ,pattern ,book issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers to ,continental markets4 ,of the #hf copper engraved plates1 many were designs made by ,j4 ,parsons ,co4 ,date about #aghd4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,in the examination of the designs each by each it will be observed that as is usual in modern trade publications every variation is given of designs differing from each other although in apparently unimportant details to the public4 ,but this peep behind the scenes shows how exact were the traders in illustrating such differences in design4 ,the point arises as to whether the ,sheffield platers themselves made these slight variations in design1 adding here a piece of chasing and there a chain of festoons1 each article having this slight variation from its fellow1 or whether they were actually following the silversmiths' designs in silver plate where similar variations may have been made4 ,we do not know4 ,it is a moot point4 ,if we cannot find in silver1 and examples have not always been found to agree exactly with ,sheffield plate reproductions1 all that we know ,sheffield produced we are on the horns of a dilemma4 ,first1 some of the silver designs required to indicate originals that ,sheffield must have copied are missing and must have been destroyed1 or1 secondly1 some of the designs of ,sheffield had no counterpart in silver2 that is to say1 they were original designs made by the ,sheffield silver platers as variations 7as the illustrations show7 of silver models4 ,this is an interesting point1 and it has never been quite cleared up1 as to whether all ,sheffield plated work can be matched by having examples of solid silver plate produced as prototypes from which such models were taken4 ,until this is done systematically it is not quite certain whether ,sheffield did or did not invent certain additions of her own in embellishing designs which originally came from the silversmith4 ,the presumption is that she did2 broad general designs as prototypes were used1 but details in ornament and decoration and a series of minor differences were made to suit the technique or to offer variety to clients4 ,an examination of the specimens from the old copper-plate designs 7illustrated1 p4 #acg7 shows how slight some of the variations in chasing were4 ,no4 #cch on the top row on left is similar to ,no4 #cdj in same row which latter is minus the festoons4 ,no4 #cci has an upright medallion and a central band of chased lozenge ornament4 ,no4 #ccg has the same design in bands top and bottom1 the medallion is sideways and there are added panels of ornament at side4 ,another illustration 7p4 #ada7 shows similar minute variations which were offered to the trade4 ,no4 #dhf on the left at the top row is practically the same as ,no4 #dhi1 on the second row beneath which has floral chasing added1 and the next example1 ,no4 #dij1 differs only inasmuch as it has a broken curved top4 ,the differences therefore are only those found in trade catalogues4 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,mustard ,,pots4 ,from an old ,pattern ,book issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers to ,continental markets1 by ,j4 ,parsons ,co41 about #aghd4 ,this series indicates the minute differences of detail in ornament of exceptional interest to collectors nowadays4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,the ,new ,style of the ,table ,salt ,cellar4--,apart from the days of the great standing salt of the late seventeenth century1 the potter followed on at ,rouen and at ,lambeth with simulations in white ware of these creations of the silversmith4 ,in the days of ,queen ,anne and in the reign of ,george ,,ii the trencher salt was of minor proportions and simple in design4 ,it had no feet and it did not attempt to be ornamental in the same degree that is observable in later salts where the decorative effect is beautiful and symmetrical and where they followed in succession all the phases of contemporary ornament4 ,they had hoof feet1 claw and ball feet1 were perforated in their designs1 were oval or hexagonal in shape1 adopting in turn the classic festoons of the ,adam period1 and the godrooning of the tureen of the late ,george ,,iii massive style4 ,they had three feet and then four feet1 till they finally dropped the foot altogether4 ,when ,empire forms were in vogue they are found with sphinxes or winged griffons and on tripod stands1 and in the decadence they sunk to trivial designs as inartistic as the crude earthenware butter pan in the dairy4 ,it is interesting to the collector of old ,sheffield plate to trace his designs and compare them with the silver hall-marked specimens throughout the period from #aggj till #ahbj4 ,he will find that in the main the ,sheffield plated examples of the period about #aghe to #agie offer examples in decorative style not surpassed by any others1 and he will also find that the silver plate of that particular period is not quite so replete with similar designs as one would suppose1 taking it for granted that all the designs of the platers were taken from the prototypes found in silver4 ,the ,mustard ,pot4--,what say you to a piece of beef and mustard8 says ,shakespeare in his ,taming of the ,shrew1 which shows the use of this condiment at the sixteenth century ,english table1 though there is no record of mustard pots having formed part of the plate4 ,swift gave certain satiric directions to a servant how to snuff a candle1 and he added further injunctions1 ,stick your candle in a bottle1 a coffee-cup or a mustard pot4 ,in collecting1 the mustard pot bursts on the horizon about the year #agfj4 ,fitted with blue glass liners1 they ran in triumphant progress with the sugar pails1 and cream pails1 through a period of thirty to thirty-five years1 offering the choicest specimens of cut and pierced work1 with festoons and with medallions in classic style1 and decorated with exquisite chasing4 ,illustrations3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,mustard ,,pots4 #agge4 ,with bar piercing3 ,medallions and festoons4 ,circular base2 dome lid4 ,handle of form used on flagons4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 #aghe4 ,oval shape4 ,handle with ,prince of ,wales's feathers as thumb-piece4 ,medallion star pierced4 ,threaded rim4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 #aghe4 ,round in shape on collette foot2 scroll piercing4 ,circular lid surmounted by knob4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 #agij4 ,vase shaped on collette foot4 ,bead edging and beaded handle4 ,star piercing4 ,all these examples have blue glass liners4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,mustard ,,pots4 ,from an old ,pattern ,book issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers to ,continental markets4 ,many are by ,j4 ,parsons ,co41 about #aghd4 ,the fine character of the cut and pierced ornament indicates the artistic output of that period4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,their shapes varied with varying fashions4 ,the illustration 7p4 #ade7 taken from an old ,design ,book by ,j4 ,parsons and ,co4 of ,sheffield1 about #aghd1 shows the type then fashionable4 ,all these are of oblong form4 ,the lids spring up with fine contour and are chased with various patterns1 all of them terminate in an urn pediment1 following the prevailing note in decoration4 ,as was shown with salt cellars in regard to these old pattern books the designs are only slight variations from each other1 differentiated from each other by numbers for trade reasons4 ,but the differences are trifling1 as will be seen from the illustration4 ,the middle examples on the two rows illustrate this4 ,the same ostrich feathers1 a simulation of the fleur-de-lys1 and later in ,hepplewhite manner to be affiliated with the ,prince of ,wales's feathers as a permanent feature in design4 ,in both examples this is a feature as a pierced medallion4 ,the floral festoons are the same in both cases1 but the only variation is the chasing in the upper and lower bands4 ,the other examples show similar relationship4 ,during the period of classic design there was a drum-shaped upright form as is shown in the illustration 7p4 #adi7 with handle and lid1 by the way1 which go to an earlier period4 ,the adjacent example1 #aghe in date1 is oval1 like the copper-plate pattern book examples illustrated1 but its character is finer4 ,the pierced designs as in the #agge example are of a fine quality4 ,the thumb piece at the handle1 it may be noted1 goes back to seventeenth century days and is found in flagons4 ,other drum forms are shown in the illustration 7p4 #aea7 and the same slight variations appear in trade differentiations in this copper-plate catalogue of examples ready for export4 ,some of these1 it will be noticed1 have flat lids and one example has the dome-shaped lid of the flagon of earlier days4 ,the tall urn-form offers another variety of shape4 ,it is here shown in the engraved examples and it is further exemplified in two fine examples in date #aghe and #agij1 illustrated 7p4 #adi74 ,in the left hand specimen the pierced work exhibits an originality and beauty in its curved perforations4 ,the other mustard pot has pierced star ornament and delicate beaded decoration1 on body and handle4 ,in regard to the handles of these urn mustard pots there is a departure from exact classic countour4 ,the illustration 7p4 #aea7 shows the handles in fine curve1 but severely classic4 ,the practical examples have lost this severity1 the handles are more the handles of the working silversmith than the designs of the drawing master4 ,in regard to ,sheraton's design books there are similar differences4 ,the practical craftsman did not always live up to the ideal of the designer4 ,a page of mustard pots illustrated 7p4 #aee7 shows the diversity of the styles1 and collectors can compare their ,sheffield plate not only with marked examples of silver but with designs that were issued from ,sheffield in the series of ,pattern ,books which happily have not been destroyed4 ,a page of pepper castors illustrated 7p4 #aee7 shows similar inventiveness in design and ornament4 ,illustration3 ,,group ,,of ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,pepper ,,castors4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,group ,,of ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,mustard ,,pots4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,a ,bid for ,continental ,trade4--,the series of illustrations reproduced throughout the volume show that ,sheffield was organized and fully equipped as an art industry1 ready and competent to seize foreign markets4 ,to those who imagine that the ,sheffield silver plating process was something comparatively trivial1 wholly imitative1 and more or less of little moment in reckoning the eighteenth century art industries in ,england1 this should come as a shock4 ,we do not remember that ,worcester or ,derby1 ,chelsea or ,bow1 our much vaunted porcelain factories1 ever had much relationship with the ,continent in the way of trade4 ,wedgwood did1 and the other ,staffordshire potters did1 because they were more organized than the porcelain factories4 ,it is interesting1 therefore1 to find that on the ,continent a demand had arisen for ,english metal work4 ,the metalsmiths on the ,continent were by no means deficient in originality4 ,for centuries in ,italy and in ,holland1 in ,germany and in ,france1 some of the finest workers in gold and silver1 in brass and iron1 artists in jewels and in enamel1 had won a great renown4 ,it is somewhat flattering to find that the foreigner saw1 what perhaps was less recognized in the country of its origin1 that the work of the ,sheffield silver platers stood on a plane apart4 ,and their flattering attentions were not only confined to purchasing replicas of fine ,english silver4 ,whether they bought it as being useful from a trade point of view to copy ,english silver designs1 as a short cut to getting fine models1 or whether they loved it for its own sake as a cheap and as a beautiful reproduction of fine designs1 we cannot determine1 but they did the ,sheffield platers the honour of copying their technique and there are some fine examples of their work4 ,in ,france1 plated ware in the ,sheffield manner was manufactured4 ,we illustrate a coffee pot of no mean design 7p4 #baa7 of ,french workmanship1 and it is stated that in ,holland and in ,russia similar imitations of the ,sheffield technique were made4 ,special marks were compulsory for this plated ware in the country of its origin in order to prevent its sale as solid silver plate4 ,two ,french marks illustrated 7p4 #bia7 show the words ,doubl 7copied7 or ,plaqu 7plated7 together with figures denoting the quantity of the silver4 ,v ,,cake ,,baskets ,,decanter ,,stands ,,or ,,coasters ,,dish ,,rings ,,inkstands ,,and ,,taper ,,holders ,,chapter ,v ,cake baskets--,decanter stands or ,coasters--,dish rings--,inkstands and taper holders4 ,as the days wore on at ,sheffield the technique1 as collectors know1 became amazingly perfect4 ,the silver wire following the intricate outlines of a vessel disguising the raw edges of the copper1 was used in a manner unequalled by the craftsman in silver plate because he had no need of such artifices to conceal in his technique the poverty of the base4 ,he was working in a solid metal where no base metal at every conceivable point thrust itself into prominence4 ,he could engrave deeply with no possibility of going too deep and betraying the shining copper4 ,his applied ornament was solid silver1 and here the ,sheffield plater runs parallel in regard to die work and soldering parts together4 ,but1 in all1 the ,sheffield plater was more skilled1 his die work is delicate and exhibits no noticeable trace as to its extraneousness4 ,he may be compared with the artist in veneer of the same or an earlier period4 ,the perfection of applied veneer and the exquisite skill employed by the cabinet-maker in covering oak with fine figured mahogany is unsurpassed4 ,veneers have in modern days been so skilfully made until they are no thicker than a cigarette paper1 the modern glue and the modern processes have worked on scientific lines1 although in many respects they have not outrivalled the old worker in veneers4 ,similarly1 in ,sheffield plate1 the great note of exclamation1 surprising and wonderful1 is at the wire edged work1 the handling of dies in a subtle and delicate manner1 and the great result produced by a difficult technique4 ,stage by stage the ,sheffield platers increased their facility for cunning handicraft4 ,machinery they had1 and clean-cut differentiation of task4 ,in fact the various branches soon became specialized in such a great industry4 ,there were the die sinkers1 and the workmen who fashioned dies and the workmen who fitted them ingeniously in position were others than those who soldered candlesticks together4 ,the candlestick makers became a separate industry4 ,piercing and cutting1 and the designs for this craft1 soon became separate and were carried to a great point of perfection4 ,chasing as a craft and the designs for chasing as an art it may readily be believed formed another separate branch4 ,from the preparation and fusing of the copper and silver1 the rolling of the ingot1 to the later stages of artistic technique1 so great and extensive an art industry systematized itself into component working parts4 ,but through it all runs like a silver thread the intensity of the magical working of wire4 ,wire1 unheeded by the tyro but beloved by the connoisseur1 converted copper and silver1 with its too obvious copper edge into solid plate to all appearance4 ,it duplicated all with which the silversmith could endow his plate and it represented toil and infinite pains1 the genius of ,sheffield1 in producing results which are unequalled as tours de force in metal technique4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,cake ,,basket4 ,woven wirework with gadroon border1 with handle in plain double bands and hinged4 ,date #ahjj4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,cake ,,basket4 ,with circular base3 having wire body surmounted by a broad lip heavily decorated with floral ornament3 massive handle with hinges4 ,date #ahaj4 ,diameter #i in4 ,base #d in4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,cake ,baskets4--,the cake or bread basket offered a fine field for free manipulation of the sheet silver1 for fine pierced-work1 or designs classic and severe1 or urn-shaped and massive4 ,all these are found1 and ,sheffield plate cake baskets are always sought after by collectors as offering something delectable in design and exquisite in detail4 ,the example illustrated 7p4 #afc7 is composite in its technique4 ,the broad solid band as a rim has pierced ornament1 as has also the foot4 ,the body of the basket is wire work4 ,the hinged handle is a solid band4 ,a fine woven wire example1 in date #ahjj1 has a gadroon border1 with handle with double bands and hinged4 ,this is in simple basket form4 ,the woven wire follows the technique or simulates the character of a plaited straw basket1 just as ,wedgwood ware baskets and dishes simulated the plaited and interlaced rush baskets4 ,one must compare ,sheffield plate with the silver examples by ,edward ,romer and ,william ,plummer about #agfj4 ,a later example1 in date #ahaj1 illustrated 7p4 #afc7 has a circular base from which springs a wire body surmounted by a broad lip or rim heavily decorated with floral ornament1 and having massive handle with hinges4 ,the touches of extraneous ornament indicate the departure from the wire worker's reticence and simplicity4 ,the design is debased from such simplicity as is found in pure wire work by these added floral ornaments4 ,lightness and grace are the keynotes in wire work and here they are destroyed by the unwanted additions4 ,decanter ,stands or ,coasters4--,this is a great family4 ,at first glance it would not seem that there was much room for variation in articles designed for so simple an object as holding a bottle or a decanter and preventing it staining the polished mahogany table4 ,but an examination of various types shows how inventive was the ,sheffield designer in producing original shapes of great diversity of character4 ,in regard to ornament they received the elaborate attention of the piercer who allowed his designs to attain a rich quality only excelled by the dish rings to which reference is made later4 ,they were circular1 they had broken tops with flowing curves1 or they were octagonal4 ,they had richly gadrooned edges or fine bead-work1 or in some examples they had four handles reminiscent of decorative ornament of an earlier period4 ,illustrations3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,coasters4 ,finely chased and pierced4 ,threaded and plain edges4 ,date about #agij4 ,pierced and chased with bead edges and shaped top4 ,date about #aghe4 ,finely pierced in classic style with bead edges4 ,date about #aghe4 ,octagonal in shape2 pierced design with straight thread edges4 ,date about #agij4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,the four examples illustrated 7p4 #afg7 illustrate types which were being made from #aghe to #agij4 ,they are all from pairs1 and each exhibits representative features4 ,the earlier form was not quite so deep as is found in later coasters4 ,in later examples the height is twice that of the earliest type4 ,perhaps it was found that bottles or decanters were apt to fall over as the evening wore on1 but it is certain that the protective guard became higher1 and some of the tallest can be used quite comfortably nowadays to hold a syphon of soda4 ,the elaborate pierced floriate work in the #aghe ,coaster 7p4 #afg7 is classical in character1 and it has bead edges and stands as an excellent piece of workmanship4 ,the adjacent example1 #agij1 is seen to be taller though still not so tall as were made at a later date1 in the decadence4 ,the pierced work is less effective and may be compared with some of the designs on what are known as ,irish dish rings or potato rings4 ,it has threaded and plain edges4 ,a departure from the circular top is shown in the lower example1 of #aghe in date1 with pierced and chased work of rosettes and festoons4 ,its broken curved top rim is decorated with bead edges4 ,the other octagonal shaped specimen1 in date #agij1 is pierced in reticent manner corresponding with its geometric form1 and has straight thread edges4 ,illustrations3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,coasters4 ,with broad beaded pattern3 having turned wooden bottom with silver boss in centre4 ,date #ahaj4 ,diameter #e in4 ,vertically fluted3 with moulded border of scroll design4 ,turned wooden bottom with plated boss in centre4 ,date #ahae4 ,diameter #f in4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,coasters4 ,circular bases with turned wooden bottoms4 ,rims with gadrooned edges terminating in four raised scroll ornaments4 ,date #ahje4 7,in the collection of ,g4 ,h4 ,wallis1 ,esq41 ,f4,s4,a47 ,at the opening of the nineteenth century new forms came into vogue1 the pair of ,coasters illustrated 7p4 #afi7 are of an unusual design where four scrolls ornament the rims4 ,these scrolls have the suggestion of ,french ,first ,empire decorative work found in domestic ornament and embodying bronze work sphinxes1 griffons and other bold designs adapted reminiscent of ,herculaneum4 ,these coasters have turned wooden bottoms4 ,another ,coaster 7p4 #afi71 in date #ahaj1 has a broad beaded pattern at edge and a turned wooden bottom with a silver boss in the centre4 ,this particular style has become a favourite and has been duplicated indefinitely and is known as familiarly the world over4 ,in this it resembles the success of the willow pattern plate which1 as a piece of pseudo-,chinese design1 won the admiration of the public in the eighteenth century1 and has been made by all the ,staffordshire potters almost as a stock pattern4 ,on the same page is a later ,decanter ,stand1 about #ahae in date1 having a turned wooden bottom with silver boss in centre4 ,it is vertically fluted1 and has a heavy moulded border of scroll design4 ,it will be seen how far this example has departed from the fine character of the types which were being made in the great period prior to #agij4 ,the love for ornament ran riot4 ,it was misplaced and heavy mouldings and solid ornaments were added to articles that could not stand such meaningless exuberances and carefully executed details which choked all natural simplicity of line4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,coasters4 ,lip decorated with scalloped floral design4 ,turned wooden bottom with plated boss4 ,date #ahbj4 ,with moulded edge and broadly fluted4 ,turned wooden bottom with plated boss4 ,date #ahje4 ,interior of above4 ,diameter #f in4 ,interior of above4 ,diameter #f in4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,butter ,,dish4 ,oval1 finely pierced1 having chased lid surmounted by pineapple4 ,twisted wire handles1 on four claw and ball feet4 ,blue glass liner4 ,date about #aghe4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,silver ,,plated ,,dish ,,ring4 ,pierced ornament of floral design and scrolls4 ,date #agge4 ,made in imitation of ,irish silver ,dish or ,potato ,rings4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,restlessness of invention seized the ,sheffield and other platers4 ,old forms were discarded1 not because they had outlived their usefulness1 but because fashion demanded or appeared to demand something new4 ,the decanter stand began to have its lip spread out more like a dish than like the early form of coaster4 ,some were decorated lavishly with scalloped floral design as in the example illustrated 7p4 #agc71 in date #ahbj4 ,an illustration of the vessel upturned shows the crowded character of the design4 ,the wooden turned base has the usual silver stud or boss in centre4 ,the adjacent example1 fifteen years earlier1 shows a finely moulded edge broadly fluted4 ,the character of this example is not open to any criticism as to over lavishness of ornament4 ,it is true it exhibits a newer style1 but it holds its own as a fine and comparatively reticent piece of design4 ,the ,dish or ,potato ,ring4--,the ,irish silversmiths were particularly ingenious in their pierced work4 ,will ,hughes at ,dublin about #aggj made some interesting pieces reflecting the sanest art4 ,there was always a dignity and grace in the decoration which was strongly classical in its lines1 embodying medallions and rosettes and festoons of drapery4 ,the ,dish ,ring or ,potato ,ring is a form peculiar to ,ireland4 ,it was only made for a comparatively short period1 and has been revived again as a modern memory of old fashions1 though its use is not quite understood nowadays4 ,these rings are stands upon which bowls were placed to prevent the hot vessel from injuring the surface of the mahogany table4 ,they are also believed to have supported wooden bowls containing potatoes4 ,genuine ,irish examples are always circular4 ,bowl and dish were synonymous terms in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries1 hence probably the term ,dish ,ring4 ,they were made as early as #agfj4 ,there is a marked example with the ,dublin hall mark for that year1 together with the maker's mark1 ,robert ,calderwood4 ,large prices have been paid for examples of old ,irish silver dish rings4 #abi was given for an example hall-marked #ageg1 and other prices range from #ej to as high as #bej2 in view of their slight weight this works out in some instances at two hundred and thirty shillings per oz4 ,examples of ,irish work are sometimes apparently simple1 but having such careful technique and skilful manipulation of the design as to give the greatest opportunity for the effective play of light and shade and silhouette4 ,another form more intricate embraced the use of birds and flowers and miniature pastoral scenes embossed1 while a more simple form yet capable of fine character was that which confined itself to basket work with round or flat wire interlaced4 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,inkstands4 ,from ,pattern ,book of eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers' work2 issued by ,j4 ,parsons ,co4 about #agib4 ,the left-hand examples with perforated lid are pounce boxes4 ,the lower stand is priced at #cjs41 the others at #bas4 each cash1 and the book is signed ,jno4 ,green1 escompte #cj4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,it is natural therefore that the ,sheffield silver workers saw in the ,irish dish ring a design worthy of imitation2 and imitate it they did4 ,in consequence a great number of plated replicas were exported to ,ireland4 ,they have an interest1 and the example illustrated 7p4 #age7 shows the class of work the ,sheffield craftsmen turned out in emulation of their ,irish silver prototypes4 ,it is an ordinary pierced design embellished with festoons4 ,some of the ,sheffield examples were finely pierced and chased in a manner no less perfect than the same class of work one finds on the sugar pails1 the mustard pots1 and the salt cellars of the best period4 ,the ,butter ,dish illustrated 7p4 #age7 fully exemplifies this type of work at its best4 ,it is oval and finely pierced with an unusual design giving in silhouette the effect of diaper ornament4 ,it is on four ball and claw feet1 and the lid is chased and is surmounted by a pineapple4 ,the handles are twisted4 ,these vessels1 like the others enumerated above with pierced work1 are furnished with blue glass liners1 and these collectors are fortunate who find bargains with the original glass liners4 ,inkstands and ,taper ,holders4--,the old ,sheffield plated inkstand is beloved by collectors4 ,the oval tray was always an elegant piece of work1 either pierced with fine running design over an extended surface as border top and bottom and often chased with medallions4 ,the three examples illustrated 7p4 #agi7 are from an eighteenth century ,pattern ,book issued in #agib by ,messrs4 ,j4 ,parsons ,co4 of ,sheffield4 ,written in ink on the first page for information of continental buyers is ,jn4 ,green escompte #cj4 ,green was one of the partners of the firm4 ,this little book in paper covers has no less than eighty-four copper plate engravings1 and for the delectation of the later collector the prices are written in ink throughout4 ,the prices of the examples illustrated are #bas4 ,each the two top ones1 and #cjs4 ,each the lower example4 ,it will be seen that the latter has three pots4 ,the pounce pot was always a necessary portion to the old inkstand1 being used as a sifter in the days before blotting paper was invented4 ,fine sand was dusted over the writing4 ,it would appear that the pounce pot with its perforated lid is on the left in all the three examples4 ,the centre pot in the lowest inkstand was additional1 though not as one might at first assume for a different coloured ink as the lid has not the same cover as those for ink with a tiny hole in centre4 ,it was apparently a receptacle for some of the appurtenances of the writing table1 certainly not pens1 for steel nibs were not then invented1 and every one wrote with a quill pen which he could sharpen with a penknife4 ,nowadays the art of cutting a quill by hand is one of the lost arts4 ,illustration3 ,,designs ,,of ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,taper ,,holders4 ,from ,pattern ,book issued by ,r4 ,c4 ,co4 7,robert ,cadman ,co47 about #agig to ,continental markets4 ,the book contains #gj whole-page copper plate illustrations1 and some of the descriptions are in ,french as well as ,english4 ,the above ,holders are priced at #ags41 #bds41 and #ads4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,an illustration from a ,design ,book issued by ,robert ,cadman and ,co4 of ,sheffield about #agig gives three examples of ,taper ,holders 7p4 #ahc74 ,the nozzle at the top shows the tiny light from the coiled wax taper4 ,the apex of the stand really consists of a miniature candlestick4 ,two of the stands1 as will be seen1 have the handles and thumb pieces at the bottom4 ,they are all of varying form2 that on the left has a canopy covering the coiled taper1 that in the centre encloses the taper in a wire cage1 while the example on the left is the simplest in construction and enables us to see how the taper as it burned was thrust upwards to the aperture at the top4 ,all three have extinguishers attached by a chain4 ,some of the descriptions in the book from which these designs are reproduced are in ,french as well as ,english1 as it was intended for use in the ,continental markets4 ,,vi ,,teapots ,,tea ,,and ,,coffee ,,sets ,,tea ,,kettles ,,coffee ,,pots ,,sugar ,,basins ,,chapter ,,vi ,teapots--,tea and coffee sets--,tea kettles--,coffee pots--,sugar basins4 ,the eighteenth century of the days of ,hogarth1 with his ,gin ,lane and ,beer ,street and with his satiric pencil reflecting the follies of his day is filled to repletion with eating and drinking1 especially the latter4 ,during the later years of ,george ,,ii there had been going on a vigorous protest between two parties as to the relative effects of beer drinking and gin drinking4 ,in #ageb appeared a print of the ,funeral ,procession of ,madame ,geneva4 ,a song was very popular in #ageg under the title of the ,beer-,drinking ,briton4 ,one couplet will suffice to indicate its character3 ,for your beef eating1 beer-drinking ,britons are souls ,who will shed their last blood for their country and king4 ,in #ageh1 owing to the scarcity of corn1 a bill was passed for the prohibition of the distillation of spirits4 ,porson wrote a series of epigrams in the ,morning ,chronicle about ,pitt and ,dundas going drunk to the ,house of ,commons on the evening when a message was to be delivered from his ,majesty relative to war with ,france4 ,pitt1 who tried to speak1 found himself unable to do so1 and was kindly pulled down to his seat by his friends4 ,who's up8 enquired ,burke of a friend at the door4 ,oh6 no one1 says ,sherry1 though ,pitt's on the floor4 ,sheridan1 the maker of the quip1 and ,porson1 the ,greek scholar1 together make up a fine quartet as exemplifying the ,bacchanalian habits of their day4 ,as to the vessels used in spirit drinking and in wine drinking ,sheffield contributed her share4 ,the punch bowl more often than not was of oriental porcelain1 but the finely shaped monteiths1 where the scalloped rim allowed of a row of glasses being hung around were made as early as #agjj by ,anthony ,nelme1 by ,fogelberg in #agja1 and many another great silversmith4 ,they continued to the middle and latter years of the century1 and in ,sheffield plate there are some very excellent examples1 and there are punch bowls with designs simulating those in the ,flaxman manner executed by the silversmith4 ,ice pails with lion mask handles1 and a glorious array of wine coolers1 urns in the classic style simple and reticent1 or vases with richly godrooned rims and massive handles1 such as ,roberts and ,cadman made in #ahae2 all these were found on the sideboard receiving the attention of the butler4 ,illustration3 ,,design ,,of ,,teapot4 ,from ,pattern ,book issued by eighteenth-century ,sheffield platers to ,continental markets4 ,the signature ,jno4 ,green1 #agib1 a partner of ,j4 ,parsons ,co41 indicates its origin4 ,teapots holding #a pints were priced at #djs4 each1 and quarts #dfs4 each4 ,the medallion enclosed by wreath and ribbon applied ornament1 was probably silver1 to enable a crest or monogram to be cut without exposing copper4 7,at the ,victoria and ,albert ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,board of ,education47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,teapot ,,and ,,tea ,,caddies4 ,teapot1 with silver medallion and engraved initials4 ,date #agie4 ,caddies finely chased and having locks4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,cake ,,basket4 ,plain band-hinged handle4 ,pierced work at foot and shoulder4 ,shaped and fluted body4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,but the teapot and the coffee pot did not go unrecognized by the ,sheffield artisans4 ,what the silversmith did the platers did1 and followed the fashions in rapid simulation of styles just catching the public taste4 ,in determining date this must be borne in mind4 ,at most the silver plate was only a year ahead of the replica4 ,sheffield was too alert to lag behind in fashion1 especially in fashions which might readily change4 ,in eighteenth century polemics we find opponents to tea and to coffee4 ,jonas ,hanway1 the eastern traveller1 who popularized the use of the umbrella in ,england1 was antagonistic to the use of tea as a national beverage4 ,and epigram writers were busy1 as for instance3 ,if wine be a poison1 so is tea--but in another shape1-- ,what matter whether we are kill'd by canister or grape4 ,the illustration 7p4 #aia7 shows the class of teapot made about #agij4 ,the price1 which is written in ink1 is #a ,pints #djs4 and ,quart1 #dfs4 ,each4 ,these prices must seem delightful to the lover and collector of old ,sheffield plate nowadays who has to pay swinging prices1 especially when we read that the old trade prices were subject to thirty per cent4 discount4 ,but it is the same with old ,worcester china1 where the original prices were a tenth of what is paid now4 ,an interesting feature about this teapot illustrated is that it shows the fusion of the classic design in the wreath and the ,chippendale manner in the ribbon ornament1 which latter style finds its way into bookplates of the period4 ,the ,french school of engravers of the ,louis ,seize period embellished their oval portraits with ribbon ornament in this character4 ,these medallions intended to receive the crest of the owner were of silver4 ,the ,sheffield plater affixed them in position in a cunning manner with no unskilful touch4 ,they were capable of receiving deeply cut engraving without exhibiting the copper underneath4 ,they are a feature present in many examples not only of teapots but many other articles made in plated ware4 ,a similar teapot to the design in the ,pattern ,book is illustrated 7p4 #aic74 ,the ,pattern ,book bears the name ,jn4 ,green #agib1 and as he was a partner in ,j4 ,parsons ,co4 there is some likelihood that this is one of their productions4 ,on the same page are two ,tea ,caddies1 oval in shape1 with broken outline1 in the same fashion as silver tea caddies made about #aghe1 and having the characteristics of the ,sheraton delicacies in cabinet work4 ,the lid of one is surmounted by a round knob and the other by a hinged handle4 ,they both have locks4 ,the chasing is in classical manner1 not so severe as that of the ,adam period1 but still retaining much of the formal grace of the festoons4 ,the cake basket shown on the same page is contemporary1 though it indicates a departure from classic feeling4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,teapot1 ,,sugar ,,basin1 ,,and ,,cream ,,jug4 ,date #ahaj4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,coffee ,,pot1 ,,teapot1 ,,sugar ,,basin1 ,,and ,,cream ,,jug ,,on ,,tray4 ,date #ahbj4 ,four-piece sets were made after this4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,set4 ,date #ahbe4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,set ,,with ,,tray4 ,date #ahcj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,the earliest tea caddies came from ,china and were decorated in blue and white4 ,worcester produced fine examples1 some in powder blue4 ,whieldon made and dated others ,green ,tea1 #agfe4 ,wedgwood had his square canisters in black basalt ware4 ,liverpool printed dainty transfer pictures on these dainty caskets4 ,they are found enamelled by ,battersea in rich colours4 ,they are found in pewter and they are found in glass4 ,bristol produced white opaque bottles inscribed ,hyson and ,bohea1 and there are square cut-glass caddies with silver mounts and handles1 and in ,holland the old ,delft examples came with the early days of tea drinking4 ,the cabinet-makers1 ,chippendale and ,hepplewhite and ,sheraton1 show tea caddies in their ,design ,books and they were splendid pieces of work in mahogany and satinwood with ivory and coloured marquetry4 ,many of the little caddy spoons of such pleasing variety of shape were made to go with these tea caddies1 and were produced at ,sheffield as well as in solid silver4 ,tea and ,coffee ,sets4--,it was not until about #ahbj to #ahbe that tea sets were produced with teapot1 cream jug1 and sugar basin as well as the coffee pot4 ,the set illustrated 7p4 #aig71 about #ahaj in date1 shows this omission4 ,later in #ahbj1 as shown in the illustration below1 the coffee pot became part of the set2 and in the illustration of the sets it is clearly seen that the styles of the coffee pots are in keeping with the rest of the set and have not been matched or added later4 ,the four-piece sets became a common feature after the first quarter of the nineteenth century1 and some of these are of pleasing character4 ,two sets1 #ahbe and #ahcj in date1 are illustrated 7p4 #aii74 ,with these were accompanying trays of solid manufacture and about this date they were very heavy and richly ornamented by die work with appliqu shell patterns and foliage at the rims4 ,they only emulated the very solid silver of the late ,georgian era when silver was sold by weight by the dealers and so much added for fashion1 that is1 fashioning it4 ,this latter item in massive pieces was a comparatively insignificant sum compared with the total cost1 which provoked the eighteenth century epigram3 ,when ,loveless married ,lady ,jenny1 ,whose beauty was the ready penny2 ,i chose her1 said he1 like old plate1 ,not for the fashion but the weight4 ,the tea urn offered fine opportunities for rich design and splendour of ornament4 ,it was in vogue in the opening years of the nineteenth century and had a fairly long life4 ,nowadays it is relegated to the lumber-room1 or1 if the hostess be a collector1 it is dragged forth from its obscurity to grace the display of family plate4 ,the example illustrated 7p4 #bjc7 is on an octagonal stand with claw feet4 ,it belongs to the same period and has the same ornament at the base as the candelabrum illustrated 7p4 #ic7 showing ,first ,empire influence derivative from ,pompeii4 ,the whole piece is richly decorated in floriate style4 ,patrick ,robertson of ,edinburgh produced tea urns in silver under the same influence4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,tea ,,urn ,,with ,,cover4 ,circular base1 to which is attached an octagonal stand on claw feet4 ,richly decorated rims in floriate style4 ,date #ahaj4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,tea ,kettles4--,there is something especially fascinating about these old vessels4 ,as early as ,queen ,anne1 tea kettles with a little spirit lamp beneath were in use4 ,one hall-marked for the year #agji made by ,n4 ,locke sold in #aiji for #bdc1 being two hundred shillings per oz4 ,paul ,lamerie made some fine examples just when ,thomas ,boulsover was launching his invention at ,sheffield4 ,it is not surprising to find the ,sheffield kettles appealing to connoisseurs because many of them are possessed of beautiful ornament1 and the die work is exceptionally perfect4 ,even in late examples the artistic possibilities of so graceful a vessel have not been missed4 ,they are usually termed tea kettles1 and there is no doubt that since the days when ,queen ,anne drank tea in the ,orangery at ,kensington ,palace and ,dr4 ,johnson graced the tea table of ,mrs4 ,thrale1 these vessels were part of the tea table equipment4 ,but there is reason to suppose that they also bore a brave part in preparing the hot water for toddy and for punch4 ,but in any case they hold a firm hold on the collector's esteem and regard1 whether he be as austere as ,father ,mathew1 who tilted a lance at spirituous cordials1 spiced and unctuous1 which1 like ginger1 were hot in the mouth1 or whether he be as convivial as ,father ,prout1 whose ,bacchanalian songs belong to the days of ,branger4 ,the examples illustrated 7p4 #bjg7 each have pleasing qualities to attract attention4 ,the upper one1 in date about #ahje1 has a fine body4 ,its cover is surmounted with a twisted flame ornament such as is found in candelabra4 ,the ornamental stand is rococo1 almost reminiscent of the period of ,louis ,quinze4 ,but the whole effect1 though ornate1 is very pleasing4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,tea ,,kettles4 ,with spirit lamp on stand1 with floral scroll ornament4 ,oval body2 curved and looped handle2 lid surmounted by conventional tongue of flame4 ,date #ahje4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,with spirit lamp on stand1 with rococo ornament4 ,melon-shaped body2 hinged handle2 dome-shaped lid1 surmounted by bell flower4 ,date #ahbj4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,the lower example1 in date #ahbj1 the last year of the reign of ,george ,,iii1 has a melon-shaped body1 and the handle is hinged4 ,the base exhibits rococo ornament in ,chippendale manner1 suggesting certain designs in his ,director which were too ornate to be carried out4 ,they were only designs as suggestions rather than working drawings4 ,but it suggests1 too1 curiously enough1 certain forms of the watch-stand then fashionable4 ,in fact1 taken away from its present environment1 it might with a very little brazing be used as a support for a watch1 that is1 if the lower superstructure be taken away4 ,coffee ,pots4--,with so many varieties of coffee pot made by the leading silversmiths ,sheffield had no reason to be short of examples4 ,the coffee pot was always taller than the teapot1 and it has retained its form to this day1 though the earliest teapot known in this country was tall and might well be mistaken for a coffee pot2 it is in date #afgj and was presented by ,george1 ,lord ,berkeley1 to the ,honourable ,east ,india ,company4 ,they were made in various parts of the country1 in ,london1 at ,chester1 and the marks shown on a coffee pot made at ,newcastle-upon-,tyne1 in date #agcg1 of quite the ordinary form in use to-day1 are given in the ,appendix 7p4 #bgi74 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,french ,,silver-,,plated ,,coffee ,,pot4 ,made in the ,sheffield manner4 ,ovoid body2 wooden handle2 dragon spout4 ,applied classic ornament1 terminating in three legs on claw and ball feet4 ,for marks see p4 #bia4 ,date #ahae-ahbj4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,the illustration 7p4 #baa7 shows an example of silver plated ware made in the ,sheffield manner by fusion and rolling which was made in ,france4 ,its body is oviform4 ,it has three legs1 which terminate in claw feet4 ,at their juncture with the body there is an ornament of conventional honeysuckle pattern produced by die work4 ,the shoulder is decorated by a band of classic ornament4 ,the cover is surmounted by an acorn4 ,the spout is moulded in the form of a dragon's head1 a form found in a coffee pot made by ,patrick ,robertson of ,edinburgh in #agfi1 and in the ,royal ,scottish ,museum1 ,edinburgh4 ,the handle is wood4 ,there is no doubt about the character of this piece4 ,it is un-,english in its design1 though it undoubtedly duplicates the technique of ,sheffield4 ,it bears the ,french mark of #aj4,m1 illustrated in ,appendix 7p4 #bia71 the highest quality of plated ware1 and has the additional stamp ,plaqu 7plated7 without which no plated articles could be sold in ,france4 ,the ,french law in regard to plated goods is severe4 ,the punch of each maker de doubl or de plaqu has a particular form determined by the ,administrator of the ,mint4 ,the maker also indicates on his works the numerals denoting the quantity of silver which they contain4 ,in regard to plating on copper or any other baser metal the worker can employ silver in any proportion he may desire4 ,but he is required by law to place upon each of his works his own punch determined by the ,mint 7as stated in article above quoted74 ,he shall also add to the stamp numerals indicating the quantity of silver contained in his work1 on which also shall be impressed in full the word doubl4 ,and this is exactly what the ,french craftsmen have done as shown by the illustrated marks given in ,appendix 7p4 #bia74 ,the ,sugar ,basin4--,the earliest form of the sugar basin was that with a glass liner and capable of receiving highly ornamental pierced work4 ,they were not always of the same height as is shown by the two examples illustrated 7p4 #baa74 ,the oviform surface of the vessel lent itself to broad bands of decoration and lozenge work in combination with the pierced design4 ,the handles were hinged4 ,these sugar pails as they are often called1 although there is the cream pail with liner to which it is more suitable to apply the term pail1 offer delightful variety in treatment1 and the number turned out by ,sheffield indicate that they were exceptionally popular at the date of their manufacture4 ,we find them about #aggj to about #agie4 ,in their early form they were classic basins decorated with medallions and festoons and having elongated handles4 ,s4 and ,j4 ,crespell1 the ,london makers1 produced examples in the ,adam style4 ,some of the silversmiths' work is pierced sheet silver1 so that in regard to comparison with ,sheffield there is in appearance not much to choose4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,sugar ,,baskets4 ,circular on collette foot1 with fine pierced work4 ,blue glass liners4 ,threaded handle1 date #agij4 ,beaded handle1 date #agge4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,sugar ,,basin4 ,circular form with two handles4 ,the body divided into fourteen globular sections by repouss work4 ,marked ,d,s 7,dixon ,sons74 ,date #ahbe4 ,height #d in4 ,base #c-g_/af in4 7,at the ,sheffield ,public ,museum47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,these basins were a later luxury of a more effeminate age4 ,in #agaa1 according to the ,spectator1 in a celebrated ,coffee ,house near the ,temple an elderly ill-dressed man called for a ,dish of ,tea1 but as several ,gentlemen of the ,room wanted other things1 the ,boys of the ,house did not think themselves at leisure to mind him4444 ,at last one of the ,rascals presented him with some stale ,tea in a broken ,dish1 accompanied with a ,plate of ,brown ,sugar4 ,we are not concerned with the rest of the story1 how the old stranger found his son in the well dressed habitu of the ,house1 and exclaimed ,hark you1 sirrah1 ,i'll pay off your extravagant ,bills once more1 but will take ,effectual care for the ,future that your ,prodigality shall not spirit up a parcel of ,rascals to insult your ,father4 ,but we are interested in the stale ,tea in a broken ,dish1 and the ,plate of ,brown ,sugar excites our curiosity inasmuch as it comes as a surprise to learn that other sugar was then in use2 possibly it was candied on strings as we remember it in our boyhood at the table of an old-fashioned prelate and recluse4 ,but centrifugally whitened and crystallized sugar it cannot have been1 for that belongs to days within memory4 ,a later example of sugar basin with melon-shaped body is in date about #ahbe and its bold handles are finely ornamented4 ,the rim and the foot have a pleasing contour following the fourteen sections of the repouss body 7illustrated1 p4 #bac74 ,it was made by ,dixon and ,sons1 and the mark is a star with the letters ,d and ,s on each side4 ,,vii ,,soup ,,tureens ,,hot ,,water ,,jugs ,,the ,,marks ,,of ,,the ,,makers ,,the ,,supper ,,table ,,chapter ,,vii ,soup tureens--,hot water jugs--,the marks of the makers--,the supper table4 ,there has been a recent dispersal of many fine collections of old silver plate1 much of which consisted of glorious examples of periods which could and would only be used on state occasion at the dinner table4 ,however much the possessor of old plate may love his family heirlooms1 there is a hesitancy in actually bringing into use even in rare circumstances old plate of the ,stuart period4 ,even though he may not be a connoisseur he might prefer some of his second-best silver for common use especially in days when people of high and low degree have often come very near to dining with ,duke ,humphry4 ,it would therefore seem somewhat of a hollow mockery to bring out of the silver closet fine ,queen ,anne or early ,georgian services with provender as bare almost as the larder of the ,count ,federigo degli ,alberighi in ,tennyson's ,falcon1 in which story is told how that noble bird came to be served up as a meal for the lady ,giovanna4 ,hence silver plate that is not used has been deemed a luxury to be sold under the hammer1 and another race of owners will treasure old silver though it may not have come down from their ancestors4 ,the ,soup ,tureen4--,that prologue to the banquet heralded and brought in with ceremony1 from whose uncovered urn issues forth the incense to the feast1 from which savoury and warming nectar1 compounded of rare ingredients and rich essences1 is dealt forth to titillate the palate1 that forerunner of entres and roasts1 of baked meats and dainty sweets1 marks the status of the chef--it is at this point that one determines whether or not he is a true cordon bleu4 ,hence the trappings of so great a caldron must fit the occasion4 ,the soup tureen that is insignificant is a cruse that promiseth no oil4 ,it betokeneth poverty of invention and it might better be an earthern crock which fortune might mayhap endow with golden contents4 ,perhaps the silversmiths have imagined all this or carried on a train of thought resulting in producing soup tureens of fine design and imposing character1 and ,sheffield has followed with her replicas and as the needle follows the pole4 ,we must look to ,paul ,lamerie1 to ,peter ,archambo in the early period and ,paul ,storr at the end of the century for silver prototypes4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,soup ,,tureen4 ,with cover and tray4 ,tureen urn-shaped1 the rim raised at two points1 with lion masks and rings4 ,cover surmounted by strap handle4 ,date #ahje4 ,tureen #i in4 high4 ,cover #aa in4 diameter4 ,tray #ab in4 by #af in4 7,at the ,public ,museum1 ,sheffield47 7,reproduced by permission of the ,corporation of ,sheffield47 ,the ,sheffield plated ,soup ,tureen illustrated 7p4 #bba7 with tray is typical of the fine stability of design which came as an inheritance from the ,queen ,anne period1 soberness and reticence without that added touch of classic austerity which brought ,greece and ,rome to the ,english dinner table1 and scattered the gods of ,olympus throughout ,staffordshire4 ,the rim of the vessel is raised at two points1 as is the tray4 ,the godroon ornament is quietly sufficient to sustain the dignity of the design4 ,the lion and mask handles complete a fine piece of restraint in composition4 ,when this made its appearance at table depend upon it it was followed by sound cuisine1 and the port of mine host was well chosen and from the right bin4 ,the ,tureen illustrated 7p4 #bbe7 is of the year of ,waterloo4 ,it is oval and stands on scroll feet1 and the beautiful graduated form of the lid is especially noticeable4 ,the rim is richly1 though not too lavishly1 decorated for so fine a piece4 ,the upper portion of the cover springs in dome-like fluted conformation and is surmounted by a handle with floriated base4 ,the handles1 a strong feature in well designed tureens1 are practical1 as are other portions of the ornament cleverly executed in die work4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,soup ,,tureen4 ,richly ornamented with scroll ornament4 ,date #ahae4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,soup ,,tureen4 ,rococo scroll ornament1 pierced heater1 with spirit lamp in centre4 ,date #ahbe4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,another ,soup ,tureen illustrated 7p4 #bbe7 is of oval form with massive handles suggesting those of an urn4 ,it carries its heavy decoration well1 but the base is too rococo with its swirling curves4 ,this example has a pierced heater with spirit lamp in centre4 ,this is in date #ahbe1 when ,canning called the ,new ,world into existence to redress the balance of the ,old4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,tureen4 ,with floral repouss decoration and four spirally fluted scroll legs4 ,cover richly chased and gadrooned1 surmounted by ball4 ,date #ahae4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,an interesting ,tureen exhibiting the restlessness of motifs and the travail of the artist in his search for new designs is exemplified in the specimen illustrated 7p4 #bbi7 where an excellence of technique is at once apparent4 ,there is a beauty and a grace in the cover with its delicate incised chain ornament1 its repouss floral design and the striking godroon edge4 ,the cover is surmounted by a ball on a leaf base4 ,on the body the raised design1 especially with the fruit and foliage1 resembles that found on posset pots of the seventeenth century1 but it is marred by an unfortunate leaf in the centre with a rib so prominent as to suggest casting4 ,this is an undoubted blemish in ornament as the eye cannot leave this spot4 ,but a bold attempt to win originality is shown in the legs and feet1 which are of a curious and striking floral design1 boldly rococo and somewhat ,italianate in character2 at first glance one expects to find them to be cherubs4 ,entre ,dishes are always1 when at their best1 ripe with well-conceived and well-balanced ornament4 ,the illustration 7p4 #bcc7 shows a specimen1 one of a set of four1 with delightful design4 ,the richly ornamented rims and the finely considered balance in regard to the double-tier effect make this especially acceptable4 ,the cover has a finely ribbed effect which catches the play of light and displays its full effect and the ribs are so unobtrusive as almost to escape notice1 but the full bodied effect is carried out to perfection4 ,another example of a later date1 #ahbe1 stands on its fine perforated ornament in the body4 ,the feet are somewhat close together1 and are made to appear more so by the dome-like cover swelling almost pear-shaped to an apex decorated by a cone4 ,it is an unusual form1 and free1 notwithstanding its idiosyncrasies1 from the glaring evils of elaborate and feeble decoration found at a slightly later date which impoverished design for the next thirty years4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,entr,e ,,dish4 ,one of four1 with heavy ornament of scroll design4 ,date #ahae4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,entr,e ,,dish4 ,with bulbous cover surmounted by rose4 ,date #ahbe4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,hot ,water ,jugs4--,the form of the jug offers endless possibilities to the artist who designs practical shapes that the metal worker1 the glass-blower1 or the potter can bring into being1 each according to his technique4 ,it is the duty of the artist1 if he be practical as well as ideal1 to offer only such designs as can be easily worked in the particular craft for which he is drawing his designs4 ,in regard to narrow-necked vessels there is the suggestion that they are more suited to the potter than to the metal worker4 ,in the ,east1 where metal workers carry on traditions that go back long ages1 we do not find that wide-mouthed vessels claim preference4 ,it is not so much that the craftsmen are conservative and do not seek new forms1 but rather that1 having mastered their technique1 they confine themselves to its limitations recognized centuries ago4 ,there is no doubt that the narrow-necked jar in the old fable of the ,fox and the ,crane was one made by the potter4 ,the difficulties in technique in manipulating a jug such as is illustrated 7p4 #bce7 must have been great1 though not insuperable4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,hot ,,water ,,jugs4 ,circular base3 lower part of body decorated with star fluting4 ,cover surmounted by pineapple4 ,dated #agge4 ,urn-shaped body on octagonal foot4 ,classic ornament4 ,silver shield4 ,date #agie4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,hot ,,water ,,jug4 ,urn-shaped1 on base with claw feet4 ,rosette decoration carried out in base and body1 together with festoons4 ,shoulder and base ornamented with band of vertical fluting4 ,this example typifies the ,adam style at its best4 ,date #aggj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,but the fine ,adam jug1 with this premiss as to narrow vessels in general1 offers a superlative example of the ,adam style executed as early as #aggj 7illustrated1 p4 #bce74 ,the square base with ball feet1 the simple festoon of drapery1 encircling rosettes but not being supported by them1 the band of ribbed ornament placed just at that position where it attains the maximum effect1 the fine exquisitely balanced proportions of the neck as natural and wonderful as nature in graceful birds such as the swan1 and the pleasing lines in the curve of the spout--all these points are points of beauty impossible to describe in words1 but quick to strike the trained eye satiated with improper ornament and feverishly awaiting the advent of pure unalloyed beauty of form4 ,one never grows weary of contemplating such a perfect example as this of the art of the modern metal worker1 that is modern since the old days of ,greece and ,rome1 and modern as in comparison with the outburst of the great ,italian ,renaissance4 ,two other hot water jugs are illustrated 7p4 #bbi7 each typifying forms into which the metal worker converted his sheet silver4 ,that on the left is severe in form4 ,it represents the spirit of classicism cold and unsatisfying4 ,the absence of the curve in the body and the straight lines at the shoulder might have proved1 had ,hogarth seen it1 some of his points as to the line of beauty4 ,the plane surfaces are too few to be attractive1 to increase their number would be to depart from a simplicity of outline at which the artist-designer has aimed4 ,the elongated handle striking a sharp acute angle adjacent to the edge of the broad facetted body offers a inharmonious note4 ,the space between the handle and the body is not a pleasing space to the eye4 ,in technique the jug is perfect1 as perfect as the silversmiths could fashion it1 and as representative a replica as ,sheffield could turn out4 ,the eye wanders to the upper portion and finds restfulness1 and it is this upper portion which makes the jug lovable and beautiful4 ,its fellow on the same page affects a new form4 ,its handle carries one back to the porringer of ,stuart days with its out-turned terminal4 ,the body swells with beautiful symmetrical curves4 ,its plain cold effect is relieved by the broken flutings carried part of the way up4 ,the spout again is reminiscent of the earlier forms in the flagon of bye-gone days4 ,the cover has a delightful pineapple ornament of sufficient size to give character to the piece4 ,although composite in its conception it takes its place on a plane indubitably its own4 ,the ,marks of ,makers4--,having extolled the object made1 it would be delightful to be able to extol the maker4 ,but the records of the copyist platers of ,sheffield are not in such an exact state as to determine this4 ,even when certain initials and marks identify a particular firm1 and one has run it to earth1 one is confronted with the proposition as to who did actually make the piece4 ,at what particular part of the chain1 leaving out the drawers of the ingot from the charcoal fire and the mechanical rollers1 was it fashioned by the man whom we wish to admire4 ,names of firms we know are hall marks as to quality4 ,in silver formerly the maker did make the piece to which he was proud to stamp his initials1 but even then the law conspired to cheat him of the guerdon of posterity's worship4 ,the initials of ,christian name and surname that is sensible enough4 ,we all are aware of that abbreviation1 and of accredited signs1 from ,e4,r41 ,elizabeth ,regina1 to the butterfly of ,whistler4 ,but disguised under the first two letters of his surname the silversmith in #afig1 by ,william ,,iii1 #h #i1 cap4 #h1 left little evidence of his personality4 ,william ,keith becomes ,,ke and ,robert ,cooper is ,,co1 and ,seth ,lofthouse is ,l4,o4 ,in #agci by ,george ,,ii1 #ab1 cap4 #bf1 just before the ,sheffield period1 the first two initial letters of ,christian name and surname became compulsory4 ,so that there is every reason why at ,sheffield1 the workmen who executed the mouldings and the craftsmen who pierced the design or chased it1 should have added their initials4 ,the die sinker might go by the board1 but the artisan who with the highest art concealed art with his die work and his wire1 he too might place his sign4 ,there are workmen's marks1 but nowadays they mean nothing except that they are workmen's marks4 ,on ,worcester porcelain it is the same1 certain symbols are believed to be workmen's marks4 ,that is all4 ,the ,french were wiser4 ,at ,svres the marks of each painter1 decorator1 and gilder of the porcelain from #agec to #ahjj is duly recorded4 ,a crescent denoted that ,ledoux painted the birds1 ,,lg tells that ,le ,guay did the gilding1 a pair of compasses show that ,mutel painted the landscapes1 ,,lr stands for ,la ,roche and his medallions and emblems1 ,f is ,falot for butterflies1 and so on4 ,there are over a hundred and twenty known workmen's marks4 ,and in #agej the ,french cabinet-makers stamped their names on their works4 ,that certain workmen's marks did appear on the old ,sheffield plate indicate pride of work of execution4 ,but specialization should not have stamped out personality to the extent that it apparently did4 ,even names of firms are forgotten and initials of producers are not always readily traceable4 ,there is much research needed in regard to old ,sheffield plate4 ,much has already been done4 ,but the idolatry of the ,sheffield replica standing as it does on its perfect technique1 should be carried back a stage4 ,we have said nothing of the artist designer and draughtsman who carefully1 with skilled pencil1 worked out the drawings to be carried out by the craftsmen4 ,he it was who stood between the silver plate prototype and the silver plated translation4 ,the admiration should be extended to the original makers of the models4 ,a scientific classification of old ,sheffield plate should set out to identify what particular makers and designers of silver plate were copied by the silver platers of ,sheffield and elsewhere4 ,a collection of ,sheffield plate without the knowledge as to the fount from which it came is like a collection of interpretative engravings from old masters' paintings with the old painters' names omitted4 ,the ,supper ,table4--,in an age when a considerable amount of inventiveness was displayed in regard to economical forms of furniture1 such as folding tables1 library steps which shut up1 dressing tables with wings that pulled forward1 telescopic dining tables were invented and patented in #ahcj by ,richard ,gillow1 and nests of drawers arranged as though space were as great a desideratum as it is in a modern flat1 it is not surprising to find that the metal workers at ,sheffield came into line with the fashion for neat and ingenious contrivances for the table4 ,a special feature was made of small delicate fitted appurtenances for the card room and the supper table4 ,collapsible toast racks were made about #ahbe to #ahcj standing on four ball and claw feet1 by a firm stamping its name as ,r4,c4 ,co4 ,tinder-boxes with candlesticks were cunningly contrived4 ,reading shades came into being with circular green silk guards1 capable of being raised and lowered and manipulated in a variety of positions4 ,many of these articles only achieved a momentary success4 ,but among those remaining are certain supper dishes for serving cheese4 ,in the example illustrated 7p4 #bci7 it is seen that it has six compartments for toasted cheese to be served hot and kept hot4 ,these cheese dishes are uncommon4 ,the handle is wood4 ,in date this is about #ahjj1 the adjacent example is about #ahaj and has applied shell and foliage at the corners of the cover1 and a similar wooden handle4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,toasted ,,cheese ,,dishes4 ,showing interior with six compartments4 ,date #ahjj4 ,showing exterior3 cover with ornament4 ,date #ahaj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,pipe ,,lighter4 ,with pierced escalloped top1 wooden handle1 and on tray with pierced rim on claw and ball feet4 ,date #aghc4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,a fine specimen of a little known article of former use is illustrated on the same page4 ,it is a ,pipe ,lighter1 with pierced and escalloped edge4 ,it has three ball and claw feet4 ,it stands on a circular tray finely pierced having ball and claw feet4 ,it might at first glance suggest to the collector that it was ,dutch in origin1 and suggests some form of charcoal brazier1 but it is indubitably a remarkable specimen of old ,sheffield plated work in date about #aghc4 ,,viii ,,centrepieces ,,the ,,centrepiece ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,old ,,dies ,,the ,,melting ,,down ,,of ,,massive ,,sheffield ,,plate ,,the ,,passing ,,of ,,the ,,dinner ,,table ,,chapter ,,viii ,,centrepieces ,the centrepiece--,the destruction of old dies--,the melting down of massive ,sheffield plate--,the passing of the dinner table4 ,the centrepiece was the pice de rsistance2 it made an imposing feature with its fruit which was to be served at dessert2 it has developed later into an object for floral decoration standing as a monument of colour on the table1 and was in more modern usage combined with lights when the old candelabra were considered to be out of date1 and before the modern electric candelabrum made its appearance4 ,accordingly1 we find massive decoration and strong bold design in most of these centrepieces4 ,the ,frontispiece illustrates an especially fine example with ten baskets of glass and the twisted branches are constructed to give the massive piece a lightness and a grace1 although it was necessary to have a certain solidity to carry its heaped-up delicacies4 ,there is a fine balance in this example and it is typical of the openwork centrepiece as distinct from a more massive form introduced when an ambitious bid made by ,sheffield for recognition in carrying out the modelled figures and other elaborate structures which became so prevalent in the first thirty years of the nineteenth century4 ,another example produced in wire work in early manner1 in date about #agij1 is illustrated 7p4 #bdg74 ,this is on four ball feet and has a large basket at the top1 vase-like in form1 with handles4 ,from the standard supported by three ,c-shaped branches are suspended four smaller baskets4 ,its lightness and flexibility of design are its noticeable features and there is a practicability too in the form as the small baskets with handles can be readily removed from the branches on which they hang4 ,a massive centrepiece with stand on four richly moulded feet in ,french style is ornamented by heavily gadrooned architectural ornament4 ,this supports three semi-nude female figures who form a column which is surmounted by a large urn-shaped basket ornamented with interlaced bands and floral pierced work4 ,a heavy glass bowl of cut glass with serrated rim and facetted ribs completes a grandiose piece representative of the period about #ahbe4 7,illustrated1 p4 #bea74 ,other forms are found with peculiarities of design which win acclamation1 though on the whole there is always in comparison with the silversmiths' art of a century earlier something undesirable1 not so much as to what is lacking but what has been added4 ,there is a departure from soberness and an attempt to give ornament a place whether ornament is necessary or not4 ,this effort to be ultra-artistic more often than not over-reached itself and the results do not give the same sthetic pleasure as those of earlier designers who know the golden rule in art--what to omit4 ,but comparisons are odious4 ,we take representative examples of a period and continue the study and give them the respect due1 and when one finds an oasis in a desert of meretricious art one is profoundly thankful4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,centrepieces4 ,with finely-cut glass dish in centre1 and five branches supporting smaller glass dishes4 ,elaborate scroll ornament embodying the ,prince of ,wales's feathers as central support4 ,date #ahaj4 ,oval wire basket1 with double wire handles on standard4 ,four smaller circular baskets supported from ,c-shaped branches4 ,on scroll feet1 with bar and ball ornament4 ,date #agij4 ,the two examples typify the ornate and the simple in design4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,the ,centrepiece illustrated 7p4 #bdg7 offers many points of attractiveness4 ,it attempts magnificence and almost achieves it4 ,the employment of three ostrich feathers in the design suggests at once the period of ,george ,,iv4 ,it has been employed in minor pieces by the silversmith as it was successfully used by ,hepplewhite in his carved mahogany chair-backs4 ,this is not the only example known with similar feather decoration so prominently featuring in the design4 ,there is another example with outstretched plain branches having four cups so far removed from the central standard as to suggest gas-globes4 ,the feathers by this arrangement are given an undue prominence and lose the graceful effect they have in the example here illustrated1 where the curved branches with rich scroll ornament harmonize with the more prominent central support for the cut glass dish4 ,the branches support four smaller cut glass dishes of really fine character4 ,this cut glass work is of the most beautiful character and adds greatly to the grandeur of the piece4 ,as indicating the return of the ,sheffield workers to designs prior to their own day the ,chestnut ,dish and ,cover illustrated 7p4 #bee7 offers conclusive proof4 ,it has all the quietude of the work produced in the ,queen ,anne period4 ,it depends for its effect on its form and the play of light on its surface4 ,the twisted handles are terminated by lion masks4 ,the foot is plain1 but the edge of the rim of the body is quietly godrooned4 ,the lid is surmounted by an oval knob1 which the ,staffordshire potters seized later as their own4 ,the accompanying illustration shows a ,fruit ,basket1 in date about #ahaj1 and it resembles the work of ,paul ,storr1 the ,london maker of that period4 ,it is of simple basket form4 ,its broad rim emulates the technique of the basket maker in appearance and is equally necessary here in order to add to the strength of a design carried out in wire4 ,the base is oval and stands on four claw feet in combination with scroll design as shown in other examples in candelabra and other work of the same period4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,centrepiece4 ,hexagonal base on scroll feet4 ,urn-shaped wire basket1 supported by three semi-nude female figures1 surmounted by large circular cut-glass bowl4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,the ,destruction of ,old ,dies4--,the ,sheffield firms were not wise in their generation4 ,they committed a great blunder which they regretted for long afterwards4 ,we do not say that this led to the extinction of the industry1 for there were other very important causes which resulted in silver plating in the old style being superseded4 ,but undoubtedly the destruction of old dies by a number of firms did lead to the constant production of work which might very well have been left undone4 ,when the fashion for the classic designs of the ,adam period and that immediately succeeding it was found to have been discarded1 these old dies were melted down for the value of the metal4 ,they represented many thousands of pounds outlay to each of the firms who had produced them1 and nowadays1 when reticence and sobriety of design have again come into their own after the long night of the early and later ,victorian meaningless trivialities in design in metal work1 these old dies would have won distinction by their re-employment4 ,but they must remain a sad memory to those who know what once has been1 and as so often happens in any industry dependent on the caprice of fashion1 it is easy to be wise after the event4 ,the ,melting ,down of ,massive ,sheffield ,plate4--,yet another deplorable misfortune overtook ,sheffield plate4 ,it was found that the copper in some of the old examples was valuable4 ,prices of copper had risen1 and on the other hand silver had fallen4 ,certain enterprising firms dealing in metals began to collect all the old ,sheffield plated examples they could lay hands on1 and they ruthlessly melted them down4 ,quite considerable sums of money were made in this manner1 and very few fine pieces were rescued from destruction4 ,though we heard of one instance of a dealer who was artistic enough to select certain examples that he liked for their beauty1 and his family have them to this day4 ,we hope his taste was sound4 ,but the result was to aim a blow at collecting ,sheffield plate1 and to create many a hiatus which collectors find to their chagrin to-day4 ,the ,passing of the ,dinner ,table4--,with all due respect to modernity there is in middle-class households still to be observed an absence of taste in silver4 ,there is silver present and enough of it4 ,but not sufficient care has been paid to studying the fine forms and the exquisite creations of former generations of ,english silversmiths4 ,now and again great surprise is expressed at big prices realized at ,christie's or elsewhere for fine specimens of plate4 ,but as to the general education relating to the art of the silversmith and the really beautiful designs that have come down for hundreds of years as ornaments to the dinner table the average city merchant and the average man of affairs has surprisingly little knowledge4 ,when he steps out of his own world into that of art he stumbles blindly and often wilfully4 ,his pictures please him and he is often boastful concerning them--but there are others who know different4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,chestnut ,,dish4 ,plain design in ,queen ,anne style3 silver gadrooned edges3 lion mask handles4 ,date #ahaj4 7,in the collection of ,b4 ,b4 ,harrison1 ,esq47 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,fruit ,,basket4 ,in fluted oval base1 with four scroll feet4 ,wire work design2 broad gadrooned rim4 ,date #ahaj4 7,by courtesy of ,walter ,h4 ,willson1 ,esq47 ,perhaps nowadays the hotel and restaurant habit has contributed not a little to disturbing the pride that the ,englishman took in his own table4 ,a hundred years ago1 and right down to the time immediately preceding our own--the days of ,thackeray and ,dickens--there was a keen regard by the host for the appointments of his table4 ,he carefully laid down wine1 he personally supervised his cellars and knew the temperature necessary to maintain the character of the contents of his bins4 ,he was a connoisseur in wines2 nowadays he leaves that sort of thing to his wine-merchant4 ,he kept an eye1 too1 on the plate closet1 and knew to a nicety what particular services and what special vessels fitted functions over which he presided4 ,perhaps life has become more complex for him to-day1 possibly he now pays more attention to his golf clubs and his motor-car4 ,he has more extraneous pleasures1 and after all modernity has its claims on his time4 ,he may suffer less from gout than did his sires4 ,but as a giver of a feast1 as a host with inner knowledge1 as a man sensitive for the palates of his guests1 the modern host is not the same host as was his grandfather4 ,,ix ,,close ,,plating ,,close ,,plating ,,the ,,buckle ,,makers ,,german ,,silver ,,and ,,other ,,white ,,metals ,,the ,,factory ,,system ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,story ,,chapter ,,ix ,,close ,,plating ,close plating--,the buckle makers--,german silver and other white metals--,the factory system--,the end of the story4 ,apart from the process of covering baser metals with silver by fusion and preparing sheets of copper superimposed with silver by rolling1 there was the earlier process always designated as ,french plating4 ,as we have shown1 the plating of baser metals was nothing new1 but the ,sheffield process was a new invention which had far-reaching results4 ,about the year #ahjj a great many small articles in common use were manufactured by a method known as close plating4 ,knives1 snuffers1 skewers1 buckles1 spurs and harness were subjected to this means of silver plating4 ,a great many of these articles have the name of the maker stamped upon them4 ,fruit knives1 table spoons and forks1 fish knives1 sugar tongs1 and in fact all small articles which it was easier to make in this manner than manipulate from the silver plated sheet4 ,iron skewers were so plated with silver and steel blades of knives4 ,an iron skewer made in ,ireland is marked ,sly4 ,dublin1 and the marks of the makers of the close plated work are as difficult to trace and identify as some of the others in the process of plating by fusion4 ,horday ,co4 is found on some late examples1 and the fleur-de-lys is another mark frequently seen4 ,the close plating process seems to have been followed both at ,birmingham and ,sheffield from about #agie1 and was subsequently employed in ,london4 ,the base for close plating was mainly iron or steel4 ,instead of resorting to the longer and more expensive mechanical process of fusion and rolling1 the article intended to be plated with silver was covered with a thin sheet of silver and while hot it was burnished down to the core of the baser metal1 by means of a compound of lead and tin1 which1 employed at a low temperature1 did not lessen the temper of the article thus plated4 ,it is to be observed1 however1 that the permanency of close plated articles cannot be compared with those produced under the rolling process4 ,whatever may be the reason there seems to be a weakness in the technique1 for it is found that they are strongly affected by exposure to damp or extreme heat4 ,the ,buckle ,makers4--,it has been asserted that ,boulsover made buckles2 this is unlikely4 ,the trade had mainly settled in ,birmingham and ,wolverhampton1 and there was an extensive trade carried on in ,london4 ,the fashion of the buckle underwent many vicissitudes in fortune4 ,the ,puritans adopted shoe strings4 ,it was in ,stuart days that ,herrick sang of his mistress3 ,a careless shoe string1 in whose tie ,i see a wild civility4 ,silk laces with silver fringes and tags were in fashion on the eve of the ,restoration1 although the common folk confined themselves to leather laces4 ,all through the eighteenth century the buckle was worn4 ,sometimes1 happily for the buckle makers1 the fashions grew so extravagant that the ladies wore such large square buckles either of silver or silver plated as almost to conceal their feet4 ,towards the end of the century fashion deserted the buckle makers and they were in a parlous state4 ,it was natural that they termed the displacement the most ridiculous of all ridiculous fashions the effeminate shoe string4 ,birmingham1 ,walsall and ,wolverhampton employed no less than twenty thousand workers in the buckle industry1 and they could ill afford to be flouted by the fickle jade ,fashion4 ,in #agib the buckle makers of the provinces determined to enlist the sympathies of the ,first ,gentleman in ,europe on their behalf4 ,they were introduced to the ,prince of ,wales by ,sheridan4 ,they represented that although the interest of the button manufacture had enlisted parliamentary assistance they had no redress against the shoestring4 ,they did not desire sumptuary penalties1 but they claimed the personal support of ,his ,royal ,highness to obviate the stagnation of trade causing miseries1 emigrations and other horrible consequences4 ,the buckle makers' petition runs as follows3 ,we beg leave to observe1 that when ,fashion1 instead of foreign or unprofitable ornaments1 wears and consumes the manufactures of this country1 she puts on a more engaging form1 and becomes ,patriotism4 ,when ,taste1 at the same time and by the same means that she decorates the persons of the rich1 clothes and fills the naked and hungry poor1 she deserves a worthier appellation1 and may be styled ,humanity4 ,we make no doubt but your ,royal ,highness will prefer the blessings of the starving manufacturer to the encomiums of the drawing-room4 ,we know it is to no purpose to address ,fashion herself2 she is void of feeling1 and deaf to argument2 but1 fortunately1 she is subject to your control4 ,she has been accustomed to listen to your voice1 and obey your commands4 ,the ,prince of ,wales1 followed by the ,duke of ,york1 ordered the discontinuance of the use of shoe-strings by members of his household4 ,the buckle makers of ,london and ,westminster followed in the wake of their provincial brethren1 by publishing an appeal to the public1 complaining that1 however mischievous the whim1 however effeminate the appearance of shoe-strings1 the wearing of them still increased1 and hoping that henceforth no philanthropic friend to his country would1 by following an evil example1 virtually take part in snatching the bread out of the mouths of thousands of poor and industrious families4 ,they also petitioned the ,king and ,queen1 the ,prince of ,wales1 the ,duke and ,duchess of ,york1 the ,princess ,royal1 and her brothers ,clarence and ,gloucester1 to aid them in their extremity4 ,they unbosomed their cares to ,king ,george as a parent and protector whose soul was his people's4 ,they assured ,queen ,charlotte that her disapproval of shoe-strings coming into her royal presence1 would suffice to reinstate them in their former blessings2 while they told the ,princess that if she would but wear buckles1 they should no longer remain monuments of silent grief1 but commemorate with grateful peals of acclamation the annual return of the day which shone so propitious on their wants4 ,equally lavish of praise and prayer to the rest of the royal family1 they reserved 7for some unknown reason7 the most extraordinary of their appeals for the ,duke of ,york4 ,after informing him that honour1 dignity1 and birth are like the landscape when the luminary is behind a cloud1 without the rays of beneficence tinging each distinction with its inherent brightness1 they remind him that ribbon1 leather1 and whipcord threaten to ruin a staple manufacture doing an incredible trade abroad1 and humbly pray his ,royal ,highness to discourage shoe-strings both militarily and domestically4 ,then they break out3 ,conceive what immense numbers of persons have spent the prime of their youth and manhood2 entered into connections2 increased their families2 and embarked their all1 having this trade for a dependence4 ,their hearts bleeding at the cruel inconsiderate capriciousness of ,fashion2 difficulties and impossibilities rise in quick succession to defeat the probability of fixing on any other branch or occupation4 ,the nuptial tie1 pitiably relaxed by reiterated sorrows2 the children cry louder and more vehemently for food2 the husband unmanned2 his wonted courage fails2 the wife1 more delicately sensible1 is not able to resist one of the obtruding woes which crowd upon her mind4 ,few friends before6 less than ever now6 ,demands come quickest upon the most needy1 often reminded of their bereaved trade1 and no philosopher's stone to smooth the creditor's brow6 ,now spread wide the happy cause1 the prospect changes2 ,hope with cheering looks advances4 ,a letter from the trade at large informs them of our appeal to your ,royal ,highness4 ,instantly they assemble1 and congratulate each other they have so glorious a source of expectation6 ,hope1 with magic power1 appeased their hunger1 removed their despondency1 makes the manufacturer's heart dance with joy2 and the ,duke and ,duchess of ,york echoes in their cups1 toast after toast4 ,and your petitioners will ever pray4 ,the result of all this was that buckles were unusually prevalent at the ,queen's birthday drawing-room1 held soon afterwards1 when the beauty and brilliancy of the buckles worn by the ,prince of ,wales1 the ,duke of ,york1 and the ,earl of ,fife attracted general notice and admiration4 ,it was but a transient triumph3 ,royalty failed to control ,fashion2 and although exceedingly small buckles were occasionally seen down to #ahjj1 their fate was sealed1 and by #ahab the buckle was extinct4 ,german ,silver and ,white ,metals4--,the early silver plating was on soft copper1 but towards the end of the plating period1 an alloy was made with brass in order to give the base a greater strength and possibly for reasons of economy4 ,later ,german silver was introduced as a base4 ,it was hard4 ,it was not altogether a success1 possibly by reason of its greater cost4 ,but it had the quality of forming a hard solid basis beneath the silver plate1 and when the latter showed signs of wear the ,german silver1 being of a light colour1 did not come into undue prominence in betraying the wear and tear4 ,there is also tutenag1 an obscure metal1 an alloy of antimony and zinc which was known to the ,chinese1 though not much has been written concerning this alloy and its employment in this country for articles of artistic excellence4 ,but candlesticks and fenders have been made of pleasing appearance and having good wearing qualities4 ,then there is the ,britannia metal period where pewter and ,britannia metal met4 ,in fact1 during the latter days of ,sheffield plating there were many minor competitors offering substitutes for the silver plating at a lower price4 ,commercialism was in the air1 and at the flood the old methods of plating by fusion were swept away4 ,the ,factory ,system4--,looked at from all points of view the ,sheffield plating industry betrayed the rise of the factory system1 as did also the great ,wedgwood and other ,staffordshire firms4 ,the factory system1 by reason of its systemization1 apportions set tasks to a chain of individuals1 so that no one individual can be said to be an artist-craftsman in the same sense that he would have been in the old days4 ,the old ,italian masters compounded their own pigments and carved and gilded their own frames4 ,life was then more crystallized4 ,the viciousness of the factory system was that it destroyed the personality of the craftsman4 ,in latter days strong movements have been inaugurated to attempt to revive art industries where the artist craftsmen will not be obliterated under the name of a firm or a syndicate4 ,the ,end of the ,story4--,it has been shown throughout this volume that old ,sheffield plate by reason of its artistic excellence1 should be treasured and loved4 ,its fashioning is most certainly a lost art4 ,the old methods have disappeared for ever4 ,it would be impossible to procure workmen nowadays with the fine instinct shown by those under the old rgime4 ,if a return were made to the old process in lieu of the solid plate2 if1 let it be granted1 that electro-plate were superseded by a freak of fashion which demanded ,sheffield plate in the old manner1 the operation would still be impossible4 ,the cost of producing ,sheffield plate by fusion and rolling would be greater than if it were solid silver4 ,hence collectors have realized the value1 not only sthetically but the actual value of a fine series of wonderful works of art produced in an artistic manner which can never come again4 ,it has been collected by far seeing enthusiasts1 and they have bought at prices which will never occur again4 ,recently at ,christie's a set of four ,adam style candlesticks brought thirty-two pounds4 ,but this was not too much for so splendid a technique4 ,and without doubt old ,sheffield plate1 especially in examples that are not forthcoming as having been made in silver plate1 will command much higher prices in the future4 ,english earthenware in some instances has eclipsed porcelain in regard to prices under the hammer1 and engravings after paintings in oil finely executed in a masterly technique1 never again to be equalled or attempted1 have won a greater acclamation at auction than the originals4 ,technique is a factor and a great determining factor in collecting1 and sound connoisseurship recognizes this4 ,old ,sheffield plated ware in its finest period exhibits one of the most surprising techniques in metal work ever produced in this country4 ,,appendix ,i ,,examples ,,showing ,,types ,,of ,,hall ,,marks ,,on ,,silver ,,plate ,used by the various ,assay ,offices in operation during the ,manufacture of ,sheffield ,plated ,ware ,,ii ,,examples ,,of ,,marks ,found on old ,sheffield ,plate during the period #agec to #ahdj ,i ,,examples ,,showing ,,types ,,of ,,hall ,,marks ,,on ,,silver ,,plate#c ,used by the various ,assay ,offices3 ,london1 ,exeter1 ,chester1 ,newcastle-upon-,tyne1 ,york1 ,sheffield1 ,birmingham1 ,edinburgh1 ,glasgow1 ,dublin1 and ,cork ,footnote #c3 ,the ,position of ,marks4--,marks are not placed on old silver in a straight line4 ,they are shown in this manner for convenience1 and are the author's own arrangement4 ,they are in practice irregularly stamped and sometimes upside down4 ,the maker put his stamp on the piece prior to sending it to the ,assay ,office4 ,the remaining stamps were done under the directions of the ,wardens4 ,although the maker's mark was stamped first1 some of the other marks were placed on either side of it4 ,the following series of ,hall ,marks on ,silver by the various ,assay ,offices are given as they fix the exact date when certain types of silver were made1 and the maker's stamp with initials enables identification4 ,it is only by comparison with original examples of dated silver that approximate dates can be ascertained of old ,sheffield plate which set out to copy silver4 ,accordingly1 the work of the following ,london makers should be studied with a view to establishing the original designers of many of the old ,sheffield replicas4 ,the following great masters came on the threshold of the ,sheffield plate invention3 ,paul ,crispin 7#agdc72 ,paul ,lamerie 7#agdf72 ,john ,cafe 7#agdi72 ,peter ,taylor 7,tea ,caddies7 7#agdg72 ,frederick ,kandler 7,inkstands7 7#ageg72 ,thomas ,whipham 7#agdg72 ,john ,swift 7,coffee ,pots7 7#agdi72 ,richard ,rugg 7#aged72 ,william ,grundy 7#ageg72 ,edward ,wakelin 7#agec72 ,isaac ,duke 7,sauce ,boats7 7#agdc72 ,simon ,jouet 7#agdg72 ,george ,wickes 7,candlesticks7 7#agej72 ,samuel ,taylor 7,caddies1 ,sugar ,basins7 7#agef72 ,henry ,herbert 7#agec74 ,when the ,sheffield industry was at its height the following ,london makers had established a reputation for various classes of designs which they had made their own4 ,sugar ,basins 7,fine pierced and festoon work73 ,benjamin ,gignac 7#agfa72 ,j4 ,denizlow 7#agha72 ,henry ,chawner 7#agib72 ,l4 ,herne and ,f4 ,butty 7#agej72 ,daniel ,smith and ,robert ,sharp 7#agfi72 ,s4 ,herbert ,co4 7#agfg74 ,cream ,jugs1 ,sauce ,boats3 ,samuel ,meriton 7#agfa72 ,walter ,brind 7#agfc72 ,parker and ,wakelin 7#agge72 ,james ,wilkes 7#aghd72 ,peter and ,anne ,bateman 7#agia74 ,candelabra and ,candlesticks3 ,robert ,hennell 7#aggg72 ,wakelyn and ,taylor 7#aghb72 ,john ,tayleur 7#aghf72 ,john ,schofield 7#aghf74 ,centrepieces3 ,william ,plummer 7,adam ,style1 #aghg74 ,tureens and ,services3 ,dave ,smith and ,robert ,sharp 7#agdg72 ,thomas ,heming 7#aggb72 ,william ,pitts and ,joseph ,preedy 7#agic72 ,robert ,sharp 7,wine ,coolers7 7#ahjc72 ,samuel ,hennell 7,wine ,coolers7 7#ahac72 ,paul ,storr 7#agif-ahbj74 ,punch ,ladles3 ,dorothy ,mills 7#agga74 ,salt ,cellars3 ,daniel ,hennell 7#ageh74 ,inkstands3 ,thomas ,heming 7#agfd74 ,toasted ,cheese ,dishes3 ,thomas ,heming 7#aggi74 ,tea ,urns3 ,orlando ,jackson 7#agga74 ,teapots and ,coffee ,pots3 ,william ,plummer 7,teapots and ,caddies7 7#agfd72 ,frederick ,knopfell 7#agfe72 ,samuel ,taylor 7,caddies7 7#aggj72 ,w4 ,cripps 7#agfb72 ,samuel ,wood 7#aghe72 ,william ,shaw 7,caddies7 7#aghh72 ,robert ,garrard 7#ahje72 ,philip ,rundell 7#ahai74 ,,london ,illustration3 #aggi ,illustration3 #agih ,illustration3 #ahbf ,,exeter ,illustration3 #agdh ,the date letters of the various ,london alphabets are readily ascertainable4 ,the differences in the shape of the shields are not great2 the leopard lost his crown in #ahba and has been cat-like in appearance ever since4 ,exeter continued as an ,assay ,office till #ahhb1 but ,york1 which was not mentioned among the ,assay ,offices in #aggc1 recommenced about the beginning of the nineteenth century and continued till #ahgj4 ,its mark was a ,st4 ,george's ,cross and five diminutive ,lions4 ,newcastle-upon-,tyne similarly discontinued assaying silver in #ahhd4 ,exeter4--,the mark1 as is shown1 is a castle with three towers4 ,the ,date ,letters were ,a-,y 7#aggc-agif74 ,the letter ,i was used for two years #agha and #aghb4 ,a-,u 7#agig-ahaf7 in square shield and a-u 7#ahag-ahcf7 in square shield with four corners cut off4 ,about #agge the following silversmiths' marks are found on ,exeter silver3 ,richard ,jenkins1 ,william ,coffin1 ,richard ,freeman1 and ,thomas ,thorne 7,plymouth71 ,david ,hawkins 7,plymouth71 ,william ,harvey 7,plymouth71 ,richard ,bidlake 7,plymouth74 ,chester4--,the ,town ,mark formerly was three ,demi-,lions with wheatsheaves on a shield4 ,in #agge it was changed to three ,wheatsheaves with a dagger1 which is still in use at the ,chester ,assay ,office4 ,in addition there is the ,lion passant and the ,leopard's head denoting sterling silver1 as at ,london4 ,newcastle-upon-,tyne4--,the complete ,marks are the ,lion passant1 the ,leopard's head1 the ,town or ,hall mark of three ,castles1 the ,date ,letter1 the ,maker's ,mark1 and the ,duty ,mark of the sovereign's head used1 as at all other offices1 till #ahij1 when the duty on silver plate was abolished4 ,sheffield4--,an ,assay ,office was established by ,act of ,parliament in #aggc 7#ac ,george ,,iii1 ,cap4 #eb71 and ,sheffield obtained the rights to hall mark silver4 ,it is unfortunate that between #aggc and #ahbc the date letters were taken at random4 ,the difficulty of identifying silver plate between these two dates 7an important period7 is thereby increased by this irregular choice of the ,guardians of the ,wrought ,silver ,plate of ,sheffield4 ,it is as though they had designedly set conundrums for posterity which none of the other ,assay ,offices did with their regular series of date letters4 ,but from #ahbd-ahdc the alphabet denoting the date runs from a-z 7the letters i1 j1 n1 o1 w and y being omitted71 and from #ahdd-ahfg the alphabet was ,a-,z 7,j and ,q being omitted74 ,the marks on the opposite page have been taken from specimens of silver plate hall-marked by the various provincial ,assay ,offices4 ,the ,chester silversmiths made a variety of excellent plate4 ,there was ,richard ,richardson whose designs were in the ,queen ,anne style1 and doubtless attracted the attention of ,sheffield4 ,in #agfh ,bolton and ,fothergill made a variety of articles1 including some fine candlesticks1 and other silversmiths about #agge whose marks were stamped at ,chester are3 ,geo4 ,walker1 ,jas4 ,dixon1 ,gimble and ,vale 7,birmingham71 ,john ,gimlet 7,birmingham71 ,ralph ,wakefield 7,liverpool71 ,christian ,thyme 7,liverpool71 and ,ralph ,fisher 7,liverpool74 ,the mark given of the ,newcastle-upon-,tyne ,assay ,office is from a ,coffee ,pot4 ,although of a slightly earlier period it exhibits the type of mark4 ,newcastle produced many tankards1 teapots and coffee pots of plain character and simple form that ,sheffield in the early days might have essayed to copy4 ,the following names of the ,newcastle makers may assist possessors of ,sheffield plated ware to establish a parallel3 ,isaac ,cookson 7#ageb72 ,robert ,makepeace 7sauceboats7 7#aged72 ,langlands and ,goodriche 7#aged72 ,langlands and ,robertson 7#agid74 ,at ,york in #ahai ,robert ,cottle and ,j4 ,barber were at work as silversmiths4 ,a teapot of that date made by them exhibits fine design4 ,early after the passing of the ,act in #aggc the ,sheffield silversmiths distinguished themselves by producing fine candlesticks1 and among the early makers' marks with the ,sheffield hall mark of the ,crown as the ,town ,mark of ,sheffield1 is that of ,samuel ,roberts ,co41 and this is found together with the mark of the ,lion passant and the ,leopard's head4 ,another mark on candlesticks of silver 7#agia7 is ,i4 ,p4 ,co4 7,j4 ,parsons ,co474 ,that ,sheffield made silver plate before this is shown by the evidence before the ,select ,committee of the ,house of ,commons in #aggc1 alluded to on page #fc4 ,,chester ,illustration3 #agge ,maker1 ,richard ,richardson4 ,illustration3 #ahjj ,,newcastle-,,upon-,,tyne ,illustration3 #agcg ,,york ,illustration3 #ahjj ,,sheffield ,illustration3 #aggh ,the ,birmingham ,assay ,office came into being in #aggc under the same ,act as that governing ,sheffield 7#ac ,george ,,iii1 ,cap4 #eb74 ,the marks are an ,anchor 7the ,town ,mark71 a ,lion passant1 ,date ,letter1 ,maker's initials1 and the ,duty ,mark of the sovereign's head from #aggf4 ,scottish marks come under another series of ,acts and are a field to themselves4 ,besides ,edinburgh and ,glasgow marks the number of ,scottish marks is legion 7,sterling1 ,perth1 ,inverness1 ,dundee1 ,aberdeen1 ,banff1 etc474 ,edinburgh used the ,standard mark of the ,thistle after #agei in place of the ,lion passant found on ,english silver4 ,the hall mark is a ,castle with three towers4 ,the alphabets of ,date ,letters ,a-,z and the ,maker's initials have been regularly used since the fifteenth century4 ,the ,duty ,mark of the sovereign's head was added in #aghd4 ,it was also formerly usual to add the ,assay master's initials4 ,glasgow1 in honour of her patron saint1 ,st4 ,kentigern 7known also as ,st4 ,mungo7 has a hall mark of a ,tree with a bird on uppermost branches1 a ,bell suspended and a ,salmon transversely across the trunk4 ,this fish has a ring in its mouth1 the latter alluding to the miracle of the recovery of the last ring of ,queen ,caidyow4 ,the ,standard ,mark is the ,lion ,rampant1 used after #ahai1 and the ,maker's ,mark his initials4 ,the ,duty ,mark of the sovereign's head was the same as at ,edinburgh4 ,dublin marks have a figure of ,hibernia1 a ,harp and ,crown1 together with ,maker's ,mark and the ,date ,letter4 ,the ,cork marks are varied4 ,sometimes there is a castle stamped twice and sometimes only the word ,,sterling and the ,maker's initials or mark4 ,birmingham4--,among the makers of silver plate we find ,matthew ,boulton1 who also made plated ware1 with fine silver candlesticks with the hall mark and date letter for #agid4 ,the date letters of the ,birmingham alphabets run3 ,a-,z ,roman capitals 7#aggc-agih72 a-z small ,roman 7#agih-ahbd72 ,a,z ,old ,english capitals 7#ahbd-ahdi72 etc4 ,edinburgh4--,among the well-known makers are ,joseph ,kerr 7#agij7 and ,patrick ,robertson 7#aggh74 ,an example is given of the mark of the latter found on a ,coffee ,pot made in #agfi4 ,dublin4--,there are a number of makers with a reputation for fine designs4 ,r4 ,calderwood 7#agfj72 ,george ,beere 7#agfj72 ,j4 ,laughlin 7#agfe72 ,stephen ,walsh 7#agfe72 ,w4 ,townshend 7#agfe72 ,will ,hughes 7#aggj72 ,william ,homer 7#agga72 ,darby ,kehoe 7#agga72 ,capel ,harrison 7#agga72 ,thomas ,lilly 7#aggb72 ,charles ,townshend 7#aggc72 ,thomas ,jones 7#agge72 ,robert ,williams 7#aggf72 ,john ,nicklin 7#aghj72 ,matthew ,walsh 7#aghj72 ,william ,law 7#agij72 ,matthew ,west 7#agia72 ,robert ,breading 7#ahjb72 and ,james le ,bas 7#ahai74 ,the initials of these makers will be found on ,irish silver of the period4 ,cork4--,here there were fine designs of an unusual character produced4 ,robert ,goble1 an early maker1 had left a tradition4 ,there was ,george ,hodder 7#agde-aggj7 who made fine coffee pots and other articles4 ,john ,williams 7#aghj7 who produced sugar baskets finely pierced and chased in classic style1 and there was ,jonathan ,buck1 who was renowned for his magnificent repouss and chased work in cream jugs and the like1 who signed his pieces sometimes ,j4 ,buck1 in script1 and sometimes stamped them with the mark of the buck4 ,,birmingham ,illustration3 #ahjd ,,edinburgh ,illustration3 #agfi ,maker1 ,patrick ,robertson4 ,,glasgow ,illustration3 #ahbd ,,dublin ,illustration3 c4 #aggj ,maker1 ,will ,haynes4 ,,cork ,illustration3 c4 #agfd ,maker1 ,jonathan ,buck4 ,,ii ,,examples ,,of ,,marks ,found on old ,sheffield ,plate during the period from #agec to #ahdj together with ,marks on ,french ,silver ,plated ,ware ,the bell1 the crossed arrows 7three and four71 the crossed keys1 the pineapple1 the orb1 the hand1 are all marks used by ,sheffield makers4 ,the following firms are well known3--,roberts1 ,cadman ,co41 ,goodman ,co41 ,parsons ,co41 ,wilkinson ,co41 ,williams ,co41 ,dixon and ,sons1 ,holy ,co41 ,gainsford1 ,walker ,knowles ,co41 all of ,sheffield4 ,at ,birmingham there was ,matthew ,boulton1 and the ,soho ,co41 ,hardy and others4 ,in ,london there were many firms settled in the ,soho district4 ,the cross keys1 illustrated1 is the mark of ,h4 ,wilkinson ,co4 7formerly ,john ,parsons ,co471 ,sheffield1 though during what period this was used is not determined4 ,the ,orb 7that is1 the ball and cross7 was the trade mark of ,walker ,knowles ,co41 ,sheffield1 but exactitude in regard to the period of its use is lacking4 ,the open hand was the sign of ,messrs4 ,watson1 ,sheffield1 and the crossed arrows of ,messrs4 ,fenton1 ,creswick ,co41 ,sheffield4 ,the original firm ,roberts1 ,cadman and ,co41 who commenced business in #aghd1 used the ,bell as a mark4 ,they also used1 as is illustrated1 ,r4,c4 ,co4 and ,r4,c4 ,co4 ,patent4 ,the latter mark is stamped on a candlestick made about #agig4 ,in the same period ,roberts1 ,cadman ,co4 produced ,coffee ,pots with ,ivory ,pine ,knob as advertised in their catalogues of that date4 ,there were ,tinder ,boxes at #ajs4 #f;d4 each with extinguisher with chain and candlestick on top4 ,the ,tea ,urns were priced at twelve guineas circular or globular shaped4 ,the ,tea ,caddies plated inside with silver edges were #des4 each1 and some cups and cream ewers were gilt inside4 ,they made also at this date ,lamp ,holders to fit into candle sockets1 and ,taper ,holders4 ,the firm afterwards became ,roberts1 ,smith ,co41 then ,smith1 ,sissons ,co41 and were succeeded by ,w4 ,g4 ,sissons1 who are still continuing the business and are silversmiths and electro-platers4 ,the three crossed arrows mark is interesting4 ,it is claimed to have been used by ,messrs4 ,fenton1 ,creswick ,co41 ,sheffield4 ,the mark illustrated with four crossed arrows is that of ,t4 ,j4 ,creswick 7#ahaa74 ,with it is given another crossed arrow mark of two crossed arrows adopted by the ,sheffield ,assay ,office to stamp on ,foreign silver assayed at that office in #aijd2 before that only the letter ,f in an oval was used1 but by #d ,edward ,,vii1 ,cap4 #f all ,assay ,offices had to adopt a new style1 and ,sheffield selected the crossed arrows4 ,in #aijf the mark was changed to the one illustrated1 which is still used on foreign silver sent to ,sheffield for assay and sale in this country4 ,illustration3 ,,mark ,,of ,,roberts1 ,,cadman ,,co41 ,,sheffield 7#aghd74 ,the firm became ,roberts1 ,smith ,co41 then ,smith1 ,sissons ,co41 and is now ,messrs4 ,w4 ,g4 ,sissons1 who still use the mark4 7,see illustrations from ,r4 ,c4 ,co4's ,pattern ,books1 pp4 #ge1 #ahc47 ,illustration3 ,,marks ,,of ,,roberts1 ,,cadman ,,co4 ,found on ,candlesticks with silver edges4 ,in #ahbd ,roberts of ,sheffield took out a patent for a new method of applying silver edges to snuffer trays1 cream jugs1 sauce boats1 c4 ,these are found stamped ,,silver3,,edgd4 ,illustration3 ,,mark ,,of ,,thomas ,,james ,,creswick1 ,,sheffield 7#ahaa74 ,,marks ,,on ,,foreign ,,silver ,,plate ,,assayed ,,at ,,sheffield4 7#aijd47 7#aijf47 ,illustration3 ,,john ,,parsons ,,co4 ,,used ,,the ,,mark ,,of ,,the ,,crossed ,,keys ,,from #aghd4 7,see ,illustrations from ,pattern ,books1 pp4 #ada1 #ade1 #aea1 #agi1 #aia47 ,the ,mark as above is that of ,h4 ,wilkinson ,co41 their successors4 ,many fine examples of old ,sheffield plate are unmarked4 ,where marks are found it is not always possible1 except by inference1 to determine at what particular date the makers stamped such marks1 that is at what date the specimen was made4 ,obviously the style of decoration indicates approximately the period1 as the ,sheffield platers set out to offer ware as fashionable as silver4 ,this is determinable by comparison with similar examples made by the silversmiths4 ,but whereas silver plate was accurately dated when it bore the stamp of the annual date letter1 wherever made1 ,sheffield plated ware cannot offer this exactitude4 ,marks when found are useful as indicating the initials of old firms who have manufactured plate from the earliest period and are still in business4 ,but many of the marks were used over a long period and only by comparison with silver prototypes can dates be arrived at4 ,it has been shown 7p4 #fc7 that in #aggc when ,sheffield and ,birmingham were made ,assay towns that silver plate was being made there1 contemporaneously with plated wares and presumably by the same firms4 ,the evidence before the ,parliamentary ,committee in #aggc showed that ,sheffield had her silver assayed in ,london1 and that ,birmingham had also some of her silver assayed in ,chester4 ,it therefore follows that many examples of silver plate bearing the ,london and ,chester hall marks were made at ,sheffield and at ,birmingham--and in the period from the invention of plated ware at ,sheffield by ,boulsover till the year #aggc4 ,one of the weakest points in regard to marks on plated ware is undoubtedly the absence of real proof as to date4 ,similar marks are found covering a period too long for one maker's working lifetime4 ,it follows that they represent firms2 often accompanying these1 though not always1 are signs also found through a long period and on various classes of ware1 which are stated to be workmen's marks4 ,in old ,worcester china signs not understood and standing apart from the factory mark of the crescent or the square ,chinese mark are attributed to workmen4 ,there identity ceases4 ,it is the same1 unfortunately1 with old ,sheffield plate4 ,that the ,sheffield platers did attempt to simulate the ,london marks on silver plate is only too true4 ,in some examples with a row of marks1 a very colourable imitation of the leopard's head is seen and the public might well be deceived4 ,but after #aggc this practice became too dangerous4 ,in fact the penalties were so severe that makers feared to mark plated goods until the #aghd ,act laid down clearer rules4 ,the mark consisting of four stamps about #ahae in date is interesting4 ,the casque suggests a head1 and the fleur-de-lys might1 when worn1 suggest the ,sheffield crown on silver plate4 ,the ,g has all the appearance of a date letter4 ,such marks have a somewhat sinister appearance1 as they undoubtedly by their number and character were attempting to simulate the hall marks on silver plate4 ,in regard to ,foreign marks on silver plated ware that was produced in the method of old ,sheffield1 there are examples known to have been made in ,france and in ,russia1 and it is believed that they were also made in ,holland and in ,sweden4 ,the promulgation of the old ,pattern ,books by ,sheffield at the end of the eighteenth century doubtless had an influence on metal workers on the ,continent1 who were never slow in assimilating new processes1 especially when they offered1 as did ,sheffield1 a lessened cost of production and an appearance simulating something finer4 ,the legal enactments relating to the marking of ,french plated ware are referred to on p4 #bji4 ,the illustrations of marks found on ,french silver plated articles are interesting4 ,the authorities were strict in regard to an exact definition in the mark to denote to the public the exact nature of the ware offered for sale4 ,in contradistinction to the slovenliness of ,english marking this exhibits the logical and protective system devised under ,french laws4 ,the articles had to be stamped ,doubl 7replica7 or ,plaqu 7plated71 and as is shown in the illustration in no illegible manner4 ,there was no simulation of the ,french silver plate marks allowed1 and the quantity of silver was duly stamped #aj,m or #bj,m1 as the case might be4 ,the maker1 as will be seen1 had his mark1 but it took a subsidiary place4 ,the public had to be protected first4 ,in regard to ,close ,plating1 which as a process came about the beginning of the nineteenth century1 and was applied to smaller articles where the rolled sheets were not applicable1 there are a number of marks found on forks and spoons1 snuffers and skewers1 on spurs and buckles1 dessert knives and forks1 and other articles of a like nature4 ,electro-plating was discovered about #ahdj1 and a patent was taken out by ,george and ,henry ,elkington of ,birmingham at that date4 ,the electro-plated marks are imposing4 ,in worn examples the row of five stamps is not decipherable4 ,what they were originally it is not easy to say1 but they have been designed to appear more important than they are4 ,illustration3 ,,mark ,,of ,,matthew ,,boulton1 ,,soho ,,plate ,,works1 ,,birmingham4 ,illustration3 ,,sham ,,marks ,,stamped ,,on ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,ware ,,to ,,simulate ,,the ,,hall ,,marks ,,on ,,silver ,,plate4 7,found on late ,eighteenth-,century ,hot ,water ,jug47 ,illustration3 ,,imitation ,,marks ,,stamped ,,on ,,sheffield ,,plated ,,ware ,,to ,,simulate ,,hall ,,marks ,,on ,,silver ,,plate4 7,found on ,salt ,cellars in date about #ahae47 ,illustration3 ,,marks ,,on ,,french ,,silver ,,plated ,,ware1 ,,plaqu ,,or ,,doubl1 ,,clearly ,,showing ,,that ,,it ,,is ,,plated1 ,,and ,,not ,,silver ,,plate4 ,the upper mark 7,plaqu7 is on a ,tureen about #ahaf4 ,the lower mark 7,doubl7 is on the ,coffee ,pot illustrated 7p4 #baa74 ,a great number of marks appear on close plated articles4 ,horday ,co41 ,s4,g41 ,e4,s41 ,s4,j4 and others4 ,but their identity is not known4 ,nor is it very significant4 ,an interesting mark1 ,sly4 ,dublin1 is found on a skewer in the early period4 ,probably seventy-five per cent4 of examples of old ,sheffield plate are unmarked1 though they exhibit fine craftsmanship which any maker might well have been proud to have stamped with his initials had the ,act of #aggc been framed sufficiently clear to enable makers to venture stamping plated ware at all with safety4 ,anonymous1 therefore1 as most of the best ,sheffield plate of the best period is1 it bears on the face of it the hall mark of exquisite workmanship4 ,collectors of old ,sheffield plate make a great mistake in constantly demanding that examples be marked4 ,if this demand for marks on old ,sheffield plate be insisted upon1 the marks will accordingly be supplied4 ,there is nothing to prevent stamps being made to represent some of the marks found on old ,sheffield plate1 and unmarked pieces will soon bear marks and straightway become more saleable4 ,the public by incessant clamour drive those responsible for providing for its wants into devious paths4 ,the dealer in old ,sheffield plate has scores of fine unmarked examples and he is wishful to sell them as such4 ,they are undoubtedly old and of fine quality4 ,it should be the ideal of the collector to know the technique of his subject so well that the artistic beauty and the skilful craftsmanship of an example should make its appeal to his trained scrutiny irrespective as to whether there is any maker's mark on the piece or not4 ,the seams on old pieces showing joins are a far better test of old workmanship as between old ,sheffield plating and modern electro-plating4 ,these seams are the hall marks of the makers a century and a century and a half ago4 ,,index ,abbotsford1 ,scott's introduction of gas at1 #aaf ,adam design1 example of hot water jug1 #bbh ,adam style of design1 the1 #he ,addison omits ,shakespeare from list of great poets1 #ea ,advertisement of ,pinchbeck 7#agcb71 #ed ,allan ,david1 copyist of old masters1 #ba ,anonymity of ,sheffield plated ware1 #bhi ,arrows1 the crossed1 as a mark1 various types of1 #bhf ,artistic value of old ,sheffield plate1 #fj1 #fa ,assay offices1 examples of marks used at1 #bgd-bhb ,below the salt1 its meaning1 #acf ,birmingham ,assay ,office1 institution of1 #da ,birmingham-- hall marks on silver plate1 #bha its silver plated marks registered at ,sheffield1 #fh silver platers1 rise of1 #fh ,boulsover1 ,thomas 7#agjd-aghh71 inventor of ,sheffield silver plating1 #df obituary notice of1 #dg ,boulton1 ,matthew1 ,birmingham 7,boulton and ,fothergill71 7,m4 ,boulton and ,co471 #fh ,buckle makers1 the1 #bfb ,buttons made by ,thomas ,boulsover1 #dg1 #ec ,button makers in ,dublin 7#agib71 #gc ,cabinet makers1 ,french1 stamped marks of1 #bcg ,caddies1 tea1 and their makers1 #aif ,cadman1 ,robert1 and ,co41 7,sheffield71 #hi ,cake baskets1 ,sheffield plated1 #afe ,candelabra-- and candlesticks1 #gi-aca old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,candelabrum1 the-- its varieties1 #ij the tri-form1 #aae ,candlestick-- the chamber1 #aai the table1 #abj ,candlesticks-- early types1 #ha from eighteenth century ,pattern ,books1 #gd1 #hf1 #hi old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,sheffield plated1 their price1 #bfi ,carteret's ,drunken ,administration1 #dh ,centrepiece1 the1 #bde ,centrepieces1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,chair-backs1 a test to apply to their beauty1 #aji ,chester hall marks on silver plate1 #bgg ,chester--,liverpool1 and ,birmingham silversmiths' work assayed at1 #bgh ,china factories1 ,derby and ,worcester1 origin of1 #di ,chippendale chair-backs1 the test of their beauty1 #aji ,christie's1 price of ,sheffield plated candlesticks sold at1 #bfi ,close plating1 #bfa ,coasters 7decanter stands71 #aff ,coffee pots1 #bjf ,coffee pots1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,contemporary silver designs in ,sheffield plated period1 #bgd1 #bgh1 #bha1 #bhb ,continental trade1 ,sheffield platers and1 #aed ,copyists of old masters1 #ba ,cream jugs1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,danger of public clamour for marks1 #bic ,date of examples1 ,sheffield plated1 absence of proof of1 #bhi ,death penalties for tampering with silver plate1 ,geo4 ,,iii 7#ahae71 #dh ,decanter stands1 #aff ,decadence in design1 in candlesticks1 #abf ,design ,book1 ,sheffield ,plate1 eighteenth century1 #aci ,designer1 the1 his greatest asset1 what to omit1 #aji ,destruction of old ,sheffield plate1 #bec ,die work in ,sheffield plating1 #hb ,dies1 destruction of old ,sheffield plate1 #bej ,dinner table1 passing of the1 #bed ,dish rings1 ,sheffield plated1 #agg ,drunken habits of eighteenth century1 #ahi ,duties on silver1 eighteenth and nineteenth centuries1 #dh ,economic substitution1 #bb ,electro plating1 its invention1 #bij ,empire style candelabrum1 #aaf ,english craftsmanship1 imitativeness of1 #bg ,english porcelain factories1 origin of ,derby and ,worcester1 #di ,engraving1 not an imitative art1 #bh ,engravings1 when printed in colours1 imitative art1 #bh ,epigram by ,porson on ,pitt1 #ahi on weight in plate1 #bjb ,european imitativeness1 #be ,exeter hall marks on silver plate1 #bgg ,factory system1 the1 #bfh ,fashion of buckles1 decline of the1 #bfc ,foreign policy1 ,carteret's pronouncement on his1 #dh ,foreign silver plating in ,sheffield style1 #bij ,fraud by silversmiths1 penalties against1 #ce ,french-- marks on silver-plated ware1 #bij plating1 an early process1 #ci plated ware1 regulations regarding1 #bji ,garrick1 ,david1 his revival of ,shakespeare1 #ej ,gas introduced to light ,abbotsford1 #aaf ,george ,,iv and the fashion of buckles1 #bfc ,german silver and other white metals1 #bfg ,gin bottle covered with bead work1 #bf ,glass designs imitate silver1 #ce ,glass1 ,venetian1 copied in ,germany1 #be ,goltzins simulates prints of old masters1 #bj ,grease pans1 their indication of date1 #ii ,guido picture fabricated by ,mignard1 #bj ,hall marks on old silver1 illustrated1 #bge1 #bgi1 #bhc ,hancock1 ,joseph 7,sheffield71 his share in developing silver plating1 #fa ,herculaneum-- design from1 #aaf influence of art of1 #aaf ,hogarth1 the ,scottish1 ,david ,allan1 #ba ,imitativeness1 ,european1 #be ,imitation-- as a fine art1 #ai of hall marks by ,sheffield platers1 #bhi1 #bij decadence of wood engraving1 #da ,imitations of ,sheffield plate1 #aeh ,inkstands1 #aha ,invention of silver plating by fusion1 #de ,ireland1 silver plating by fusion carried on in1 #ga ,irish dish or potato rings1 #agg ,irish ,government offers premium 7#aghc7 for plated ware made in ,ireland1 #ga ,irish hall marks on silver plate1 #bha1 #bhb ,irish plated skewer marked ,sly1 #bfb ,jackson1 ,john1 copyist of ,reynolds1 #ba ,jugs1 hot water1 #bbg ,kettles1 tea1 #bje ,knick-knacks1 a world of 7eighteenth century71 #ed ,knife handle of stamped ,sheffield plate1 #ej ,lamb1 ,charles1 quoted1 #acf ,liverpool silversmiths' work assayed at ,chester1 #bgh ,liverseege1 ,henry1 copyist of ,vandyck1 #ba ,london1 silver plating carried on at1 #fh ,louis ,,xiv-- orders silver plate to be melted1 #bc his extravagant use of silver plate1 #bc ,marks-- on ,french cabinet work1 #bcg on porcelain1 #bcb on ,sheffield plate1 #fb1 #fc1 #bca2 7illustrated71 #bhf-bic 7,sheffield plate7 fear of platers to stamp any1 #fd1 #fg on ,sheffield plate resembling silver marks1 #fb1 #fc on silver1 position of1 #bgc ,melting down of old ,sheffield plate1 #bec ,mignard fabricates a ,guido picture1 #bj ,missionary-fostered art1 #bf ,mustard pot1 the1 #adh ,newcastle-upon-,tyne-- hall marks on silver plate1 #bgg silversmiths at1 #bgh ,nottingham1 silver plated ware made at1 #fh ,nozzles1 removable1 their indication of date1 #if ,old masters1 drawings of1 copied by ,david ,allan1 #ba ,old masters1 prints of1 simulated by ,goltzins1 #bj ,original silver plate design copied by platers1 #adc ,ornament-- spiral1 its abuse1 #ajf useless1 failure of1 #aaj ,parliamentary ,committee on conduct of assay offices 7#aggc71 #fc ,parsons and ,co41 ,pattern ,book1 #aha ,patch boxes1 ,sheffield plated1 #ed ,pattern ,books1 eighteenth century1 silver platers'1 #gd1 #hf1 #hi1 #aci ,penalties-- counterfeiting ,duty ,mark 7#ahae7 punishable by death1 #dh for fraud in old plate1 #cf1 #fb1 #fc for wrongly stamping ,sheffield plate1 #fg ,petition of the buckle makers1 the1 #bfd ,pinchbeck1 ,christopher1 and his imitations1 #ed ,pipe lighter-- ,sheffield plate1 #bda illustrated1 #bci ,pitt1 epigrams by ,porson on1 #ahi ,plating1 silver-- early1 #ce pre-fusion period1 #ce1 #ci process described1 #eh used fraudulently1 #ce ,pompeii1 influence of art of1 #aaf ,poor relations and their foibles1 #acf ,porcelain factories1 ,derby and ,worcester1 origin of1 #di ,potato rings1 ,sheffield plated1 #agg ,potters1 copy of silversmiths' designs by1 #bh1 #ca ,pottery1 ,french1 supplants silver plate1 #bd ,pounce pot1 the1 and its use1 #ahb ,prince of ,wales's feathers used in design1 #aec ,process of ,sheffield silver plating described1 #eh ,rise in value of old ,sheffield plate1 #bfi ,romney picture of ,serena 7,miss ,sneyd71 #aai ,ruskin and copies of ,turner drawings1 #bb ,salt1 below the1 its meaning1 #acf ,salt cellar1 the1 #ace the new style1 #adg ,sauce boats1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,scott1 ,sir ,walter1 his introduction of gas at ,abbotsford1 #aaf ,scottish hall marks on silver plate1 #bha ,seams a test of genuineness in ,sheffield plate1 #bic ,sevrs porcelain makers' marks1 #bcb ,shakespeare neglected by ,addison and ,steele1 #ea revival of study of1 #ej ,sheffield-- ,assay ,office1 institution of1 #dj1 #da hall marks on silver plate1 #bgg origin of silver plating at1 #ci ,sheffield plate-- old1 destruction of1 #bec wonderful technique of1 #afa ,sheffield platers-- as to their originality1 #adc deterred from placing any marks1 #fd1 #fg ,sheffield silver plate1 makers of1 eighteenth century1 #bgh ,sheffield1 silver plating process described1 #eh ,silver-- duties in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries1 #dh price of1 in eighteenth century1 #dg lustre ware imitates silver plate1 #ce marks1 simulation of1 by marks on ,sheffield plate1 #fb1 #fc plate designs copied by platers1 #adc plate made at ,sheffield assayed in ,london1 #fc plate1 value of hall marks on1 #bgd plating at ,sheffield1 origin of1 #ci plating by fusion1 its invention1 #de plating1 early1 #ce plating1 the great period1 #gc ,silversmiths-- copy of potters' designs by1 #bh1 #ca list of late eighteenth century1 #gg 7,london7 who influenced ,sheffield platers1 #bgd ,simulation in art1 #be1 #bh ,smith1 ,j4 ,r41 engraving of ,serena after ,romney1 #aai ,spiral forms in candelabra1 #ajj ,spectator1 advertisement in 7#agab71 #adj ,spurious candelabra and their errors1 #ie ,steele1 ,richard1 omits ,shakespeare from list of great poets1 #ea ,steel toys1 the1 of ,sheffield1 #adj ,sugar basin1 the1 #baj basins1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,supper table1 the1 #bch ,taper holders1 #aha ,tea and coffee sets1 #bja ,tea caddies and their makers1 #aif ,tea kettles1 #bje ,teapots1 #ahi old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,tea urn1 the1 #bjb ,technique1 wonderful1 of ,sheffield plate1 #afa ,tinder boxes1 ,sheffield plated1 #bhf ,toasted cheese dishes1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,trencher salts1 their use1 #adg ,tureens-- old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd soup1 #bbj ,turner drawings1 facsimiles of1 #bb ,tutenag1 an alloy of antimony and zinc1 #bfg ,urn1 the tea1 #bjb ,utility the true test of ornament1 #aaj ,value of old ,sheffield plate1 #bfi ,ward1 his replicas of ,turner drawings1 #bb ,wedgwood1 ,josiah-- shell-forms1 adoption of1 #ca carved wood models1 use of1 #ca indebted to metal-workers of ,sheffield1 #cb ,white metals1 ,german silver1 etc41 #bfg ,wine coolers1 old silver1 ,london makers of1 #bgd ,wine labels1 ,sheffield plated1 #ec ,wood engraving1 decadence of1 #da ,worcester china1 workmen's marks on1 #bhi ,york1 silversmiths at1 #bgh ,printed in ,great ,britain by ,,unwin ,,brothers1 ,,limited1 ,,london ,,and ,,woking ,,unwin',s ,,chats ,,series ,,list ,,of ,,volumes ,chats on ,english ,china4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,illustrated with reproductions of #aef marks and #hi specimens of china4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,tenth ,impression4 ,this is the standard work on the subject4 ,the volume will enable the possessors of old china to determine the factories at which their ware was produced4 ,it gives in a few chapters just what the beginner wants to know about the principal varieties of ,english ware4 ,we can warmly commend the book to the china collector4 ,pall ,mall ,gazette4 ,so simply yet so thoroughly written1 that it is a sage guide to the veriest tyro in china collecting4 ,bookman4 ,chats on ,old ,furniture4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #ajd other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,twelfth ,impression4 ,the hints to collectors are the best and clearest we have seen2 so that altogether this is a model book of its kind4 ,athenum4 ,a fully illustrated practical guide for collectors4 ,the ,times4 ,mr4 ,hayden has worked at his subject on systematic lines1 and has made his book what it purports to be--a practical guide for the collector4 ,the ,saturday ,review4 ,chats on ,old ,prints4 ,how to ,collect and ,identify4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #gb full-page plates4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,seventh ,impression4 ,every branch of the subject is carefully and explicitly handled in this book1 and valuable information as to technical processes and identification of prints is given4 ,if there is a better book of its kind on print collecting we have not yet come across it4 ,daily ,graphic4 ,a very useful handbook for beginners1 intended to help any reader of artistic tastes1 but very moderate means1 to collect to good purpose4 ,the ,times4 ,chats on ,costume4 ,by ,g4 ,,woolliscroft ,,rhead1 ,r4,e4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #aag other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,second ,impression4 ,a practical guide to historic dress4 ,clothes is a subject that has been neglected by collectors1 and this book will be a useful guide to those who desire to repair that neglect by forming a collection4 ,a book that is at once the work of an authority on the subject of costumes1 and one that helps to enlarge our range of selection4 ,pall ,mall ,gazette4 ,chats on ,old ,miniatures4 ,by ,j4 ,j4 ,,foster1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #aaf other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,second ,impression4 ,this book presents in a concise and popular form a variety of valuable information on the collection and preservation of miniatures1 on the leading ,english and ,french artists1 and on the specimens exhibited in public galleries4 ,mr4 ,foster is truly a guide1 philosopher and friend4 ,he tells us not only how to judge and how to buy miniatures1 but how to take proper care of them4444 ,the splendid photographs by which the book is enriched adds in a great measure to its attractiveness and utility4 ,aberdeen ,free ,press4 ,chats on ,old ,lace and ,needlework4 ,by ,,mrs4 ,,lowes4 ,with a frontispiece and #gd other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,third ,impression4 ,written by an expert and enthusiast in these most interesting branches of art4 ,the low price at which the work is issued is exceptional in dealing with these subjects1 and it is remarkable in view of the technical knowledge displayed and the many photographic illustrations which practically interleave the book4 ,in commendable1 clear and concise style ,mrs4 ,lowes explains the technical features distinguishing each example1 making the book the utmost value in identifying samples of old lace4--,weldon's ,ladies' ,jour4 ,chats on ,oriental ,china4 ,by ,j4 ,f4 ,,blacker4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #gj other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,fifth ,impression4 ,will be of the utmost service to collectors and to all who may have old ,chinese and ,japanese porcelain in their possession4 ,it deals with oriental china from the various standpoints of history1 technique1 age1 marks and values1 and is richly illustrated with admirable reproductions4 ,a treatise that is so informing and comprehensive that it commands the prompt recognisation of all who value the choice productions of the oriental artists4444 ,the illustrations are numerous and invaluable to the attainment of expert knowledge1 and the result is a handbook that is as indispensable as it is unique4 ,pall ,mall ,gazette4 ,chats on ,english ,earthenware4 ,a companion volume to ,chats on ,english ,china4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a coloured frontispiece1 #aej ,illustrations and tables of over #bjj illustrated marks4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,fourth ,impression4 ,to the ever-increasing number of collectors who are taking an interest in old ,english pottery444 will be found one of the most delightful1 as it is a practical work on a fascinating subject4 ,hearth and ,home4 ,here we have a handbook1 written by a well-known authority1 which gives in the concisest possible form all the information that the beginner in earthenware collecting is likely to need4 ,moreover1 it contains one or two features that are not usually found in the multifarious 'guides' that are produced to-day4 ,nation4 ,chats on ,autographs4 ,by ,a4 ,m4 ,,broadley4 ,with #acj ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,being an expert collector1 ,mr4 ,broadley not only discourses on the kinds of autograph he owns1 but gives some excellent cautionary advice and a valuable 'caveat emptor' chapter for the benefit of other collectors4 ,westminster ,gazette4 ,it is assuredly the best work of the kind yet given to the public2 and supplies the intending collector with the various sources of information necessary to his equipment4 ,manchester ,guardian4 ,chats on ,old ,pewter4 ,by ,h4 ,j4 ,l4 ,j4 ,,mass1 ,m4,a4 ,with #eb half-tone and numerous other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,third ,impression4 ,it is a remarkably thorough and well-arranged guide to the subject1 supplied with useful illustrations and with lists of pewterers and of their marks so complete as to make it a very complete and satisfactory book of reference4 ,manchester ,guardian4 ,before setting out to collect old pewter it would be as well to read ,mr4 ,mass's book1 which is exhaustive in its information and its lists of pewterers1 analytical index1 and historical and technical chapters4 ,spectator4 ,chats on ,postage ,stamps4 ,by ,,fred ,j4 ,,melville4 ,with #eg half-tone and #ag line ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,second ,impression4 ,the whole book1 with its numerous illustrations of excellent quality1 is a vade mecum for stamp collectors1 even though their efforts may be but modest2 we congratulate ,mr4 ,melville on a remarkably good guide1 which makes fascinating reading4 ,academy4 ,there is no doubt that ,mr4 ,melville's book fills a void4 ,there is nothing exactly like it4 ,agreeably written in a popular style and adequately illustrated1 it is certainly one of the best guides to philatelic knowledge that have yet been published4 ,world4 ,chats on ,old ,jewellery and ,trinkets4 ,by ,,maciver ,,percival4 ,with nearly #cjj ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,the book is very thorough1 dealing as it does with classic1 antique and modern ornaments2 with gold1 silver1 steel and pinchbeck2 with the precious stones1 the commoner stones and imitation4--,outlook4 ',chats on ,old ,jewellery and ,trinkets' is a book which will enable every woman to turn over her jewel-case with a fresh interest and a new intelligence2 a practical guide for the humble but anxious collector4444 ,a good glossary of technicalities and many excellent illustrations complete a valuable contribution to collector's lore4 ,illustrated ,london ,news4 ,chats on ,cottage and ,farmhouse ,furniture4 ,a companion volume to ,chats on ,old ,furniture4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #ge other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,third ,impression4 ,one gets very much for one's money in this book4 ,seventy-three full-page illustrations in half-tone embellish a letterpress which is replete with wise description and valuable hints4 ,vanity ,fair4 ,mr4 ,hayden's book is a guide to all sorts of desirable and simple furniture1 from ,stuart to ,georgian1 and it is a delight to read as well as a sure help to selection4 ,pall ,mall ,gazette4 ,mr4 ,hayden writes lucidly and is careful and accurate in his statements2 while the advice he gives to collectors is both sound and reasonable4 ,westminster ,gazette4 ,chats on ,old ,coins4 ,by ,,fred ,w4 ,,burgess4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #beh other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,second ,impression4 ,a most useful and instructive book444 will prove a boon to the intending collector of old coins and tokens1 and full of interest to every collector4 ,as was to be expected of any volume of this series1 the illustrations are numerous and good1 and greatly assist the reader to grasp the essentials of the author's descriptions4 ,outlook4 ,the author has not only produced 'a practical guide for the collector' but a handy book of reference for all4 ,the volume is wonderfully cheap4 ,notes and ,queries4 ,chats on ,old ,copper and ,brass4 ,by ,,fred ,w4 ,,burgess4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #hf other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,w4 ,burgess is an expert on old copper and bronze1 and in his book there is little information lacking which the most ardent collector might want4 ,the ,observer4 ,italian bronzes1 ,african charms1 ,chinese and ,japanese enamels1 bells1 mortars1 ,indian idols1 dials1 candlesticks1 and snuff boxes1 all come in for their share of attention1 and the reader who has mastered ,mr4 ,burgess's pages can face his rival in the auction-room or the dealer in his shop with little fear of suffering by the transaction4 ,the ,nation4 ,chats on ,household ,curios4 ,by ,,fred ,w4 ,,burgess4 ,with #id ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,mr4 ,burgess gives much information about such attractive antiques as old glass and enamels1 old leather work1 old clocks and watches1 old pipes1 old seals1 musical instruments1 and even old samplers and children's toys4 ,the book is1 in short1 an excellent and comprehensive guide for what one may call the general collector1 that is1 the collector who does not confine himself to one class of antique1 but buys whatever he comes across in the curio line1 provided that it is interesting and at moderate price4 ,aberdeen ,free ,press4 ,chats on ,japanese ,prints4 ,by ,,arthur ,,davison ,,ficke4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #ef ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,fourth ,impression4 ,mr4 ,ficke writes with the knowledge of the expert1 and his history of ,japanese printing from very early times and his criticism of the artists' work are wonderfully interesting4 ,tatler4 ,this is one of the most delightful and notable members of an attractive series4444 ,a beginner who shall have mastered and made thoroughly his own the beauty of line and the various subtlety and boldness of linear composition displayed in these sixty and odd photographs will have no mean foundation for further study4--,notes and ,queries4 ,chats on ,old ,clocks4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a frontispiece and #hj ,illustrations4 #bnd ,ed4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,a practical handbook dealing with the examples of old clocks likely to come under the observation of the collector4 ,charmingly written and illustrated4 ,outlook4 ,one specially useful feature of the work is the prominence ,mr4 ,hayden has given to the makers of clocks1 dealing not only with those of ,london1 but also those of the leading provincial towns4 ,the lists he gives of the latter are highly valuable1 as they are not to be found in any similar book4 ,the volume is1 as usual with this series1 profusely illustrated1 and may be recommended as a highly interesting and useful general guide to collectors of clocks4 ,the ,connoisseur4 ,chats on ,old ,silver4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a frontispiece1 #ii full-page ,illustrations1 and illustrated table of marks4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,fourth ,impression4 ,mr4 ,hayden's ',chats on ,old ,silver' deals very thoroughly with a popular branch of collecting4 ,there are a hundred full-page illustrations together with illustrated tables and charts1 and the student of this book can wander round the old curiosity shops of these islands with a valuable equipment of knowledge4444 ,altogether we have here a well-written summary of everything that one could wish to know about this branch of collecting4 ,the ,sphere4 ,the information it gives will be of exceptional value at this time1 when so many families will be forced to part with their treasures--and old silver is among the most precious possessions of the present day4 ,morning ,post4 ,chats on ,military ,curios4 ,by ,,stanley ,c4 ,,johnson1 ,m4,a41 ,d4,sc4 ,with a coloured frontispiece and #gi other ,illustrations4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,mr4 ,johnson in this book describes many of the articles a collector should be on the look out for1 giving short but informative notes on medals1 helmet and cap badges1 tunic buttons1 armour1 weapons of all kinds1 medallions1 autographs1 original documents relating to ,army work1 military pictures and prints1 newspaper cuttings1 obsolete uniforms1 crests1 stamps1 postmarks1 memorial brasses1 money and curios made by prisoners of war1 while there is also an excellent biography on the subject4 ,the author has1 indeed1 presented the reader with a capital working handbook1 which should prove a friendly and reliable guide when he goes collecting4 ,field4 ,chats on ,royal ,copenhagen ,porcelain4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with a frontispiece1 #ef full-page ,illustrations and illustrated tables of marks4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,this very beautiful and very valuable book will be eagerly welcomed by lovers of porcelain4444 ,mr4 ,hayden describes with great skill and preciseness all the quality and beauty of technique in which this porcelain excels2 he loves it and understands it1 and the examples he has chosen as illustrations are a valuable supplement to his descriptions4 ,bookman4 ,chats on ,old ,sheffield ,plate4 ,by ,,arthur ,,hayden4 ,with frontispiece and #eh full-page ,illustrations1 together with makers' marks4 ,cloth1 #is4 net4 ,old plated ware has1 by reason of its artistic excellence and its technique1 deservedly won favour with collectors4 ,the art of making plated ware1 which originated at ,sheffield 7hence the name of ,sheffield plate71 was continued at ,birmingham and ,london1 where a considerable amount of old ,sheffield plate was made1 in the manner of its first inventors1 by welding sheets of silver upon copper4 ,the manufacture lasted roughly a hundred years4 ,its best period was from #aggf 7,american ,declaration of ,independence7 to #ahcj 7,accession of ,william ,,iv74 ,the author shows reasons why this old ,sheffield plate should be collected1 and the volume is illustrated with many examples giving various styles and the development of the art1 together with makers' marks4 ,candlesticks and candelabra1 tea-caddies1 sugar-baskets1 salt-cellars1 teapots1 coffee-pots1 salvers1 spoons1 and many other articles shown and described in the volume indicate the exquisite craftsmanship of the best period4 ,the work stands as a companion volume to the author's ,chats on ,old ,silver1 the standard practical guide to old ,english silver collecting4 ,t4 ,,fisher ,,unwin ,,ltd4 #a ,,adelphi ,,terrace1 ,,london1 ,w4,c4 #b ,transcriber's ,notes3 #a4 ,italics are shown with text and bold print is shown with text4