posted 08-22-2004 02:46 PM            

In the past 15 years a number of catalogs of Museum collections have appeared and been mentioned or discussed repeatedly (Cincinnati, Winterthur, City of New York, Huntington) in these forums. One such that I do not recall having seen mentioned, and that deserves notice, is English and American Silver in the Collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (1989, hard cover, 8 1/2 X 11", 311 pages)..

Each piece in the book is thoroughly documented with descriptions, history and provenance, and a discussion. Each is photographed and accompanied with an picture of the mark(s). The photographs are well done, although purists might object to the reflections on many of the pieces.

There are introductory essays by Judith Bannister on English Silver, and Gerald W. R. Ward on Some Functions of Silver in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century America.. Of the 244 entries of single and multiple items (pairs and sets), the first 171 are English (London, Provincial, Scottish, and Irish) from the Fifteenth through the Eighteenth Centuries.

The American collection is particularly noteworthy. Of the 72 American entries, all but 11 predate 1840, 15 are Federal or Empire (1780 - 1840) and 46 are truly Colonial (1680 - 1770). The Colonial selections are truly impressive, constituting a veritable Who's-Who of major Colonial silversmiths. Nearly all items are hollowware (fewer than half-a-dozen entries are flatware), am d most would be considered major pieces - this collection is "all meat," and no "fluff. There are larger collections, but none contains a greater concentration of early pieces. There is a representation of styles and a wide variety of forms represented - a bit heavy on tankards, but who would complain?

While there are many fine English pieces included, and while the book would be a worthwhile addition to the English collector's library, there are numerous other published sources with well-illustrated English pieces. On the other hand, while there are larger compendia of American examples, they are few in number and often unavailable; and really early examples of American work are so rare and expensive that few collectors will ever own very many (if any at all), so this book should be indispensable to American collectors.

posted 09-05-2004 06:27 PM            

Thanks for the recommendation.