Waiter
1698-1699 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
A waiter is a small tray which held cups, or cards and letters, and was presented by a servant. Waiters were often made with feet to protect the surface on which they were placed. These examples are hexagonal in form, on six ball-and-claw feet.
Subjects Depicted
The scrolling acanthus motif is characteristic of the Baroque decorative style, often used in a balanced, symmetrical arrangement. The scrolled foliage on the border is interwoven with figures of playful putti and dogs. The cherubs framing the armorial cartouche rest on scrolled foliate brackets, another feature of Baroque ornament.
Design & Designing
Printed volumes of ornament were widely available throughout Europe at this time, and were the primary source of decoration for silversmiths and engravers. Engravings were faithfully copied or adapted as necessary to suit the form. Elements were also extracted to provide an entirely new composition devised by the engraver. Here, the border is based on a frieze from a set of engravings entitled Ornamenti di fregi e fogliami by Stefano della Bella. The cherubs holding a wreath are taken from the title page of the set of engravings, Diverses Figures a l'eau forte de petits Amours, by Abraham Bosse after the designs of the Italian painter and draughtsman Paolo Farinati.
A waiter is a small tray which held cups, or cards and letters, and was presented by a servant. Waiters were often made with feet to protect the surface on which they were placed. These examples are hexagonal in form, on six ball-and-claw feet.
Subjects Depicted
The scrolling acanthus motif is characteristic of the Baroque decorative style, often used in a balanced, symmetrical arrangement. The scrolled foliage on the border is interwoven with figures of playful putti and dogs. The cherubs framing the armorial cartouche rest on scrolled foliate brackets, another feature of Baroque ornament.
Design & Designing
Printed volumes of ornament were widely available throughout Europe at this time, and were the primary source of decoration for silversmiths and engravers. Engravings were faithfully copied or adapted as necessary to suit the form. Elements were also extracted to provide an entirely new composition devised by the engraver. Here, the border is based on a frieze from a set of engravings entitled Ornamenti di fregi e fogliami by Stefano della Bella. The cherubs holding a wreath are taken from the title page of the set of engravings, Diverses Figures a l'eau forte de petits Amours, by Abraham Bosse after the designs of the Italian painter and draughtsman Paolo Farinati.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver gilt, cast, embossed, chased and engraved |
| Brief description | Waiter, silver-gilt, London hallmarks for 1698-99, mark of Benjamin Pyne. |
| Physical description | Hexagonal silver-gilt dish with four cast ball and claw feet with border engraved after a design by Stefano Della Bella and the arms after Simon Gribelin, chased ornament after Jean le Pautre (1618-82). The arms on a cartouche surrounded by foliations and surmounted by two cherubs holding a wreath, the rim chased and embossed with boys playing with dogs, the lower part of the bodies of each terminating in acanthus foliage; two dogs also appear amidst the foliage, the narrow border cast with palmettes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Acquired under the Bryan Bequest |
| Object history | Made in the London workshop of Benjamin Pyne (died in 1732) Engraved with the arms of Sir William Courtenay of Powderham (1628-1702) |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type A waiter is a small tray which held cups, or cards and letters, and was presented by a servant. Waiters were often made with feet to protect the surface on which they were placed. These examples are hexagonal in form, on six ball-and-claw feet. Subjects Depicted The scrolling acanthus motif is characteristic of the Baroque decorative style, often used in a balanced, symmetrical arrangement. The scrolled foliage on the border is interwoven with figures of playful putti and dogs. The cherubs framing the armorial cartouche rest on scrolled foliate brackets, another feature of Baroque ornament. Design & Designing Printed volumes of ornament were widely available throughout Europe at this time, and were the primary source of decoration for silversmiths and engravers. Engravings were faithfully copied or adapted as necessary to suit the form. Elements were also extracted to provide an entirely new composition devised by the engraver. Here, the border is based on a frieze from a set of engravings entitled Ornamenti di fregi e fogliami by Stefano della Bella. The cherubs holding a wreath are taken from the title page of the set of engravings, Diverses Figures a l'eau forte de petits Amours, by Abraham Bosse after the designs of the Italian painter and draughtsman Paolo Farinati. |
| Associated object | M.77-1947 (Pair) |
| Bibliographic reference | Turner, Eric, An Introduction to English Silver from 1660 (V&A Introductions to the Decorative Arts), London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1985.
p.11. ill. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.77A-1947 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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