Silver & Silver-plated items

‘Drum’ form mustard pots – known at the time as mustard tankards or cans – first emerged in the second half of the 18th century as the fashion changed from dry to wet mustard.

This pair of mid-18th century Dresden sauceboats were once part of the huge holdings of silver used at the court of Frederick Augustus II (1733-63).

Charles Robert Ashbee’s pseudo medieval wirework silver and glass jugs and bottles rank among the Guild of Handicraft’s finest work.

Although Malta supported an estimated 600 makers from 1680-1820, relatively little silver from the period survived on the island.

The term pomander derives from the French pomme d’ambre, meaning ‘apple of amber’, a reference to the aromatic substances – ambergris, musk, civet, and spices – once formed into small balls and carried as protection against disease.

Richard Joyce, a member of one of the Tribes of Galway (the 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of the city), led an extraordinary life.

Although termed strawberry dishes, the classic early Georgian plain serving dish with raised fluted sides and a scalloped rim, were used for a variety of purposes.

Sustained scrap silver prices of more than £30 an ounce have sent large quantities of middle-of-the-road Georgian and Victorian domestic silver to the melting pot. Today, to sell well above the bullion price, it helps if silver comes with a strong narrative. ATG reports on a few great storytellers.

Scottish contemporary silver by Graham Leishman Stewart (1955-2020), squirreled away for decades in private collections, is now slowly beginning to reach the secondary market.

Irish silver pocket corkscrews from the Georgian period are not common.

A ‘monumental’ pair of 15-light silver candelabra made by Tiffany & Co for a member of the Vanderbilt family hammered for $230,000 (£171,565) at John Moran Auctioneers (27% buyer’s premium) in Monrovia, California.

Thomas Field Gibson (1803-89) was a man of many talents and interests.

Victorian silver novelties do not come much better than this claret jug by top London maker Robert Hennell (1826-91).

Among the countless designs that Josef Hoffmann, the Viennese architect and multi-talented driving force behind the Wiener Werkstätte, executed during his long career was a bowl with two scroll handles, sometimes described as a centrepiece.

A remarkable silver oyster tureen with cover and stand hammered for $26,000 (£19,150) at Leland Little (20% buyer’s premium) in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

A rare snuff box commemorating the escape of Charles II from Parliamentary forces after the Battle of Worcester was the highlight of Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood’s (26% buyer’s premium) silver and jewellery sale in Exeter.

Sigismund III Vasa (1566-1632) was a man of many parts. His father was King John III of Sweden; his mother Catherine was the daughter of King Sigismund I of Poland.

Invoice reveals the original deal for a Kangxi bowl that emerged from a London private collection