Tankard
1704-1705 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Precious metal objects such as cups, tankards, salts and spoons were often given as christening presents by the godparents.
Materials & Making
Britannia Standard silverware was made in England between 30 May 1697 and 1 June 1720. It bears both the Britannia hallmark (a seated figure of Britannia with a shield and trident) and the Lion's Head Erased hallmark. The alloy has a greater silver content (958.4 parts of silver to 41.6 parts copper) than sterling silver (925 parts of silver to 75 parts of copper). It is also much softer than sterling silver so wears badly, but its very softness makes it more suitable for casting.
Time
Much English silverware was melted down during the Civil War of 1642-1646 to provide coinage. After the Restoration of 1660 there was a high demand for the reconversion of coinage for the making of silverware, which resulted in a great shortage of coin. The higher standard of Britannia silver was imposed by the Crown to prevent the widespread practice of 'clipping' coin to obtain the very scarce sterling silver. The law was repealed when enormous quantities of silver became available from the Americas. After 1720 silversmith could elect to use either standard.
Precious metal objects such as cups, tankards, salts and spoons were often given as christening presents by the godparents.
Materials & Making
Britannia Standard silverware was made in England between 30 May 1697 and 1 June 1720. It bears both the Britannia hallmark (a seated figure of Britannia with a shield and trident) and the Lion's Head Erased hallmark. The alloy has a greater silver content (958.4 parts of silver to 41.6 parts copper) than sterling silver (925 parts of silver to 75 parts of copper). It is also much softer than sterling silver so wears badly, but its very softness makes it more suitable for casting.
Time
Much English silverware was melted down during the Civil War of 1642-1646 to provide coinage. After the Restoration of 1660 there was a high demand for the reconversion of coinage for the making of silverware, which resulted in a great shortage of coin. The higher standard of Britannia silver was imposed by the Crown to prevent the widespread practice of 'clipping' coin to obtain the very scarce sterling silver. The law was repealed when enormous quantities of silver became available from the Americas. After 1720 silversmith could elect to use either standard.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, engraved |
| Brief description | Tankard with Britannia standard hallmark - Rollos |
| Physical description | The body of the tankard is barrel shaped, tapering slightly towards the rim and rests on a circular, moulded foot. There is an additional moulding encircling the waist of the vessel. The handle is in the form of S shaped scroll; the back is channelled down from the centre. The lid is domed with a stepped, moulded rim. The thumbpiece is in the form of an upright cast, ancanthus scroll and is attached to the rim of the lid. The lid is attached to the handle by a strapwork hinge with a moulded tail. A Royal coat of arms are engraved on the front of the body, flanked with initials, AR. The arms are the old Stuart coat of arms; this version in use between 1702 and 1707 when the two parliaments of England and Scotland were combined by Acts of Union. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Engraved with the royal coat of arms for Queen Anne, who presented it to George Proctor (died 1751) as a christening gift (A full set of hallmarks for London, 1704-5 is stamped beneath the rim of the vessel and near the handle. There is, in addition, the maker's mark only stamped on the handle. The numerals 32, are scratched on the underside of the base and signify a scratch weight of 32 troy ounces.) |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
The Britannia standard hallmark indicated a higher proportion of pure silver metal than the quality of silver generally then in use. Britannia standard was introduced in 1697 to prevent silversmiths melting down coins to make new objects. That practice was severely reducing the number of coins in circulation.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Mrs Winifred Hyde, in memory of her husband, Robert Henry Proctor Hyde |
| Object history | Made in London probably by Philip Rollos the Elder (born about 1660, died in 1711) |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Object Type Precious metal objects such as cups, tankards, salts and spoons were often given as christening presents by the godparents. Materials & Making Britannia Standard silverware was made in England between 30 May 1697 and 1 June 1720. It bears both the Britannia hallmark (a seated figure of Britannia with a shield and trident) and the Lion's Head Erased hallmark. The alloy has a greater silver content (958.4 parts of silver to 41.6 parts copper) than sterling silver (925 parts of silver to 75 parts of copper). It is also much softer than sterling silver so wears badly, but its very softness makes it more suitable for casting. Time Much English silverware was melted down during the Civil War of 1642-1646 to provide coinage. After the Restoration of 1660 there was a high demand for the reconversion of coinage for the making of silverware, which resulted in a great shortage of coin. The higher standard of Britannia silver was imposed by the Crown to prevent the widespread practice of 'clipping' coin to obtain the very scarce sterling silver. The law was repealed when enormous quantities of silver became available from the Americas. After 1720 silversmith could elect to use either standard. |
| Bibliographic reference | For information on Phillip Rollos- Sitwell, Major, Gen. and The Jewel House And The Royal Goldsmiths , Arch. Journal - CX V III p. 154. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.15-1991 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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