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Cream jug
Paul de Lamerie, born 1688 - died 1751 - Enlarge image
Cream jug
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1735 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Paul de Lamerie, born 1688 - died 1751 (probably, maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Chased and engraved silver-gilt
- Credit Line:
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Museum number:
LOAN:GILBERT.733-2008
- Gallery location:
Gold, Silver & Mosaics, room 71, case 2, shelf 3
The sculptural quality and overlapping scales or leaves upon this jug are typical of Paul de Lamerie's work of the 1730s. The feet are formed as shells and dolphins, whose tails are entwined on the base. De Lamerie (1688-1751) was the son of French Huguenot parents and came to London in the 1690s as a small child, before going on to become the most successful Huguenot smith in the city.
When the Catholic King Louis XIV revoked the religiously tolerant Edict of Nantes in 1685, Huguenots (French Protestants) were forced to leave the country. Many were craftsmen who settled in London. Their technical skills and fashionable French style ensured the luxury silver, furniture, watches and jewellery they made were highly sought after. Huguenot specialists transformed English silver by introducing higher standards of craftsmanship. They promoted new forms, such as the soup tureen and sauceboat, and introduced a new repertoire of ornament, with cast sculptural details and exquisite engraving.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
