Georgian silverware is a very popular and very specific kind of antique. It’s a big draw for a lot of buyers and collectors, because it’s rather valuable. In fact, Georgian silver tends to be worth more than Victorian silver, because Victorian silver replicated Georgian silver in many different ways. It is true that a lot of ‘Georgian’ antiques are Victorian ones in disguise – you have been duly warned.
At MPLevene, they have a large collection of Georgian pieces. They also have a lot of Victorian pieces that have been produced to look like the work of earlier Georgian smiths. Both are valuable and very attractive, but it is important to be aware of the distinction between the two, says Guardian expert Judith Miller. It is discrepancies like this one that make it so important for buyers to be on the ball.
Georgian silverware tends to be plainer than that which preceded it, say the experts at the Baltimore Sun. It has touches of the pomp and intricacy that would characterise the Victorian period, but it is a lot more subtle. In a lot of ways, it is plainer but stronger and more defined – clearly, enhancement and embellishment had not yet come to define the upper class household.
Right now, they have a pair of Georgian silver salt cellars on sale. They were produced in 1743 by Edward Wood of London. They have a very classic style, one which has been reproduced various times over the centuries. They’re wonderfully simple, with just a touch of the ornate in their three hoofed feet. Each has a pretty blue lining made out of glass, and each has a silver hallmark stamp placed on its underbelly.
Interestingly, engraved and pierced tongs are a very common relic of the Georgian era. The best are made from a single piece of silver with an arm that ends in a spoon, shell, claw or fork shape. Some have a noticeable concave running down their inside, from tip to top. They’re characterised by their wide, rounded blades or prongs – more contemporary tongs have very flat, practical blades. Though it’s true that even this type of style was regularly aped in the Victorian era, says Collectors Weekly.
It is much easier to spot genuine Georgian silver, if you go for the more unusual items. There are hundreds of real and faux Georgian mugs, forks, ladles, tongs and salt cellars on the market. The genuine articles are very attractive and very worthy of a household, but they’re not the rarest of items. The same cannot be said for our lovely Georgian dish cross – it is on sale now for a superb price, considering its historical worth and significance.
This silver dish cross is the perfect Georgian antique, because it is unusual. We do still use the dish cross today, but it looks and functions in a very different way. It is designed to keep a plate of food warm, whilst the guests at a dinner party are being served. Unsurprisingly, the dinner parties of this period were sometimes very large, and it was necessary to keep food hot and simmering.
The silver dish cross on sale at M.P Levene was produced in 1768, by William Plummer of London. It’s a fine antique, one that can give a buyer a very real sense of the period in which it was made. It does have intricacies – the four shell feet are magnificently engraved and very beautiful. Yet, it is also rather restrained, as if the Georgian smiths instantly knew when they’d reached perfection.
Author Bio :- Lucy Drew is a crystal collector and loves to seek out crystal makers the world over. She recommends MPLevene.co.uk for high quality, bespoke Crystal sets. Lucy Enjoys time on her Mega Yacht in the Cayman Islands.
