Figure

Object Type
This is an electrotype copy of one of a pair of English silver-gilt flagons in the form of heraldic leopards. The originals bear London hallmarks for 1600-1601 and were made as gifts for Elizabeth I. Flagons of this form were intended purely for ceremonial use and are unique among English silverwares of the early 17th century.

Use
The original flagons were kept in 'The great guilt cubberd of Estate [sic]' and were sold in 1626 by Charles I when Parliament failed to vote him sufficient funds. They were taken to Russia by the English merchant Fabian Smith and were sold to Tsar Mikhail Romanov in 1629.

Historical Background
In 1867 a series of electrotypes of English silver from South Kensington were sent to St Petersburg, Russia. Later the Director of the South Kensington Museum wished to acquire electrotype copies of the English silver in the Kremlin. In 1881 two craftsmen from Elkingtons, the leading electrotype manufacturers in Britain, were sent to Moscow to take moulds of the original leopard flagons. The electrotypes were finally finished and produced by Elkingtons in 1884.

Manufacture
The technique of making or reproducing objects by electrotyping was first demonstrated in 1838 and was developed by Elkington & Co. in the 1840s. It involves making a plaster mould from an original object and then making a model in base metal from that mould. The model and a quantity of the plating metal (usually silver) are then connected to electric terminals and placed in a bath filled with a conductive solution. The electrical current causes particles of the plating metal to be deposited on the surface of the model. The plated object is then worked manually to erase imperfections. A difference in the quality of surface can be detected in unburnished pieces, and clarity of line is sometimes lost.