British Silver: The Wealth of a Nation May 15, 2012 - Jan 20, 2013
The production of silver in Britain was understood to be the embodiment of the country's prosperity — an outward expression of political stability, taste, and industriousness.
This exhibition explores some of the ingredients that made the English silver trade such a vigorous success in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Drawn largely from the Museum's collections, it also includes extraordinary loans from private collectors, including Paul de Lamerie's great rococo coffeepot of 1738 and the justly famous Maynard Dish belonging to the Cahn Family Foundation.
Since sterling silver was the coinage of the realm, a silver dinner service was, most literally, worth its weight. But the display and use of silver meant more than riches. Silver was an expression of a patron's taste and education, designed to celebrate his achievements and complement the architecture of his house.
(source: metmuseum.org)
Since sterling silver was the coinage of the realm, a silver dinner service was, most literally, worth its weight. But the display and use of silver meant more than riches. Silver was an expression of a patron's taste and education, designed to celebrate his achievements and complement the architecture of his house.
(source: metmuseum.org)