Object Number: #303
London 1692
Maker: “IL” over “fleur-de-lys” in heart-shield
City’s hallmark: Leopard’s head crowned for London (Jackson 1921: 84)
Maker’s mark: “IL” over fleur-de-lys in a heart-shield
(Jackson 1921: 128). Possibly for Isaac or John Liger (Grimwade, no 1931) or the mark of a Huguenot (possibly, Jean Louis).
Sterling mark: Lion passant en face (Jackson 1921: 84)
Date-letter mark: a „p“ in a pointed shield for 1692 (Jackson 1921: 84)
Engraving: „A.R.T. from E.R.T“ and crest
Dimensions: 14,8 x 14,8 cm; Weight: 670 gr each
These Queen Anne silver boxes are octagonal divided by narrow and long sides. The only decoration of these exceptionally attractive silver boxes is the fine gadroons (ornamental surface or edges) on foot and lid. On the lid engraved a crest. At the back engraved dedication: “A.R.T. from E.R.T”. The boxes belonged most probably to a toilet service.
Toilet services with a uniform style and homogeneous design were developed in France around the mid-seventeenth century. Until the end of this century, they were a kind of standard equipment for court ladies and nobles. The toilet service was often offered as a gift to a bride from a wealthy groom to their marriage.
The dedication on these boxes could well signify a gift. The rhombic (lozenge) form of the crest – a form destined for female coat of arms – accents the fact that these belonged to a lady.
At the Victoria & Albert Museum in London one can admire The Sizergh Toilet Service, ca. 1680, where a silver, English uniform toilet service is depicted.
Jackson, Ch. J., 1911, An illustrated History of English Plate, ecclesiastical and secular in which the development of form and decoration in the Silver and Gold Work of the British Isles form the earliest known examples to the latest of the Georgian Period, Bd. I-II, Plauen i. Vogtl.: C.F. Schulz & Co.
Jackson, Ch., J., 1921, English Goldsmiths and their marks, London: MacMillan and Co. Limited