|
|
Article: Admiral George Anson and his Lamerie silver.
- Article from:
- The Magazine Antiques
- Article date:
- June 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
In 1893 a quantity of silver made by the Huguenot silversmith Paul de Lamerie(1) was offered for sale in London by Christie, Manson and Woods.(2) It had been owned by Admiral George Anson (Pl. I), whose exploits at sea had made him a rich man. This silver is important as an example of laying down plate by an eighteenth-century gentleman. At the same time it marks the high point of rococo design and technical virtuosity in eighteenth-century English silver.
Anson was born on April 23, 1697, at Shugborough Hall, the family's house in Staffordshire. His father, William (d. 1720), was a member of the gentry who had married slightly above his station to Isabella ...