Tankard
1685-1686 (hallmarked)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The size of this tankard suggests that it was used for display rather than for use. The chinoiserie (stylised chinese scenes) which decorates this tankard was highly fashionable in 17th-century Europe.
Outside the wealthiest court circles, 17th-century silver was used primarily for eating and drinking. The dining table was the heart of social activity, and novelty items were made for fashionable new drinks flavoured with spices and drinking games. The range of British silver for the home from this period (the first for which a representative quantity survives) demonstrates increasing foreign influences from France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The rising demand for fashionably decorated European silver from the 1660s onwards reflects Britain's new wealth and political stability.
Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.
Outside the wealthiest court circles, 17th-century silver was used primarily for eating and drinking. The dining table was the heart of social activity, and novelty items were made for fashionable new drinks flavoured with spices and drinking games. The range of British silver for the home from this period (the first for which a representative quantity survives) demonstrates increasing foreign influences from France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The rising demand for fashionably decorated European silver from the 1660s onwards reflects Britain's new wealth and political stability.
Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Engraved silver |
Brief description | Silver tankard with chinoiserie figures; London, John Richardson, 1685-1686 |
Physical description | Silver circular tankard of tapering cylindrical form with moulded base mount and moulded rim wire, single step cover with edge scalloped rectangular lower terminal, with a scroll handle. Chased overall with chinoiserie figures. The engraved lozenge arms of the Weekes family of Hurstpierpoint, Sussex is a later addition, dating from the mid-eighteenth century. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Gallery label | (Gallery 70, case 4)
10. Tankard
1685–86
London, England; John Richardson (died 1697–98)
Silver
Engraved with coat of arms of the Weekes family of Hurstpierpoint, Sussex
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.611-2008(16/11/2016) |
Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Object history | The engraved coat of arms is of Weekes of Hurstpierpoint, Sussex impaling another, and dates from the mid-eighteenth century. |
Production | Maker's mark R |
Summary | The size of this tankard suggests that it was used for display rather than for use. The chinoiserie (stylised chinese scenes) which decorates this tankard was highly fashionable in 17th-century Europe. Outside the wealthiest court circles, 17th-century silver was used primarily for eating and drinking. The dining table was the heart of social activity, and novelty items were made for fashionable new drinks flavoured with spices and drinking games. The range of British silver for the home from this period (the first for which a representative quantity survives) demonstrates increasing foreign influences from France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The rising demand for fashionably decorated European silver from the 1660s onwards reflects Britain's new wealth and political stability. Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert began collecting in the 1960s and over a period of 40 years formed one of the world’s great private collections of decorative arts. The collection consists of over 800 objects from the fields of European gold and silver, Italian mosaics and hardstone, portrait enamels and gold boxes. Sir Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996 to be housed at Somerset House, London, having previously been displayed at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 2008 the collection was moved to dedicated galleries in the V&A, where a selection has been on permanent display ever since. |
Bibliographic references |
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Other numbers |
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Collection | |
Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.611-2008 |
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Record created | June 19, 2008 |
Record URL |
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