Gentleman's toilet set

Object Type
After silver for eating and drinking, toilet silver was the most common type of precious metal in most wealthy households. Between about 1640 and 1780, the toilet set was the customary gift for a wealthy bride and was also given on the birth of a child. It could comprise up to 30 items, including pots for creams, glue, patches and powder, pin cushions, brushes, snuffers, candlesticks and perhaps a silver-framed mirror. Women's toilet services often showed the wealth and status of the family. Men also had very luxurious toilet services, made from precious materials and finely worked. These could be purchased or inherited, or acquired as a gift or reward.

People
This toilet set is traditionally believed to be a gift from Charles II to Thomas Campland, who had sheltered him during the Civil War, as some of the instruments are marked with the initials 'TC'. There is no firm historical proof for this, but there was a long-standing tradition of monarchs giving gifts to members of the nobility as a sign of friendship or as thanks for services rendered. Objects with a royal association were likely to be preserved by a family rather than refashioned or melted down.