Chats on Old Sheffield Plate

by Arthur Hayden

INDEX

• Abbotsford, Scott's introduction of gas at, [116]
• Adam design, example of hot water jug, [228]
• Adam style of design, the, [85]
• Addison omits Shakespeare from list of great poets, [51]
• Advertisement of Pinchbeck (1732), [54]
• Allan David, copyist of old masters, [21]
• Anonymity of Sheffield plated ware, [289]
• Arrows, the crossed, as a mark, various types of, [286]
• Artistic value of old Sheffield plate, [60], [61]
• Assay offices, examples of marks used at, [274-282]

• "Below the salt," its meaning, [136]
• Birmingham Assay Office, institution of, [41]
• Birmingham—
  hall marks on silver plate, [281]
  its silver plated marks registered at Sheffield, [68]
  silver platers, rise of, [68]
• Boulsover, Thomas (1704-1788), inventor of Sheffield silver plating, [46]
  obituary notice of, [47]
• Boulton, Matthew, Birmingham (Boulton and Fothergill), (M. Boulton and Co.), [68]
• Buckle makers, the, [262]
• Buttons made by Thomas Boulsover, [47], [53]
• Button makers in Dublin (1792), [73]

• Cabinet makers, French, stamped marks of, [237]
• Caddies, tea, and their makers, [196]
• Cadman, Robert, and Co., (Sheffield), [89]
• Cake baskets, Sheffield plated, [165]
• Candelabra—
  and candlesticks, [79-131]
  old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Candelabrum, the—
  its varieties, [90]
  the tri-form, [115]
• Candlestick—
  the chamber, [119]
  the table, [120]
• Candlesticks—
  early types, [81]
  from eighteenth century Pattern Books, [74], [86], [89]
  old silver, London makers of, [274]
  Sheffield plated, their price, [269]
• Carteret's "Drunken Administration," [48]
• Centrepiece, the, [245]
• Centrepieces, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Chair-backs, a test to apply to their beauty, [109]
• Chester hall marks on silver plate, [277]
• Chester—Liverpool, and Birmingham silversmiths' work assayed at, [278]
• China factories, Derby and Worcester, origin of, [49]
• Chippendale chair-backs, the test of their beauty, [109]
• Christie's, price of Sheffield plated candlesticks sold at, [269]
• Close plating, [261]
• Coasters (decanter stands), [166]
• Coffee pots, [206]
• Coffee pots, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Contemporary silver designs in Sheffield plated period, [274], [278], [281], [282]
• Continental trade, Sheffield platers and, [154]
• Copyists of old masters, [21]
• Cream jugs, old silver, London makers of, [274]

• Danger of public clamour for marks, [293]
• Date of examples, Sheffield plated, absence of proof of, [289]
• Death penalties for tampering with silver plate, Geo. III (1815), [48]
• Decanter stands, [166]
• Decadence in design, in candlesticks, [126]
• Design Book, Sheffield Plate, eighteenth century, [139]
• Designer, the, his greatest asset, what to omit, [109]
• Destruction of old Sheffield plate, [253]
• Die work in Sheffield plating, [82]
• Dies, destruction of old Sheffield plate, [250]
• Dinner table, passing of the, [254]
• Dish rings, Sheffield plated, [177]
• Drunken habits of eighteenth century, [189]
• Duties on silver, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, [48]

• Economic substitution, [22]
• Electro plating, its invention, [290]
• Empire style candelabrum, [116]
• English craftsmanship, imitativeness of, [27]
• English porcelain factories, origin of Derby and Worcester, [49]
• Engraving, not an imitative art, [28]
• Engravings, when printed in colours, imitative art, [28]
• Epigram by Porson on Pitt, [189]
  on weight in plate, [202]
• European imitativeness, [25]
• Exeter hall marks on silver plate, [277]

• Factory system, the, [268]
• Fashion of buckles, decline of the, [263]
• Foreign policy, Carteret's pronouncement on his, [48]
• Foreign silver plating in Sheffield style, [290]
• Fraud by silversmiths, penalties against, [35]
• French—
  marks on silver-plated ware, [290]
  plating, an early process, [39]
  plated ware, regulations regarding, [209]

• Garrick, David, his revival of Shakespeare, [50]
• Gas introduced to light Abbotsford, [116]
• George IV and the fashion of buckles, [263]
• German silver and other white metals, [267]
• Gin bottle covered with bead work, [26]
• Glass designs imitate silver, [35]
• Glass, Venetian, copied in Germany, [25]
• Goltzins simulates prints of old masters, [20]
• Grease pans, their indication of date, [99]
• Guido picture fabricated by Mignard, [20]

• Hall marks on old silver, illustrated, [275], [279], [283]
• Hancock, Joseph (Sheffield), his share in developing silver plating, [61]
• Herculaneum—
  design from, [116]
  influence of art of, [116]
• Hogarth, "the Scottish," David Allan, [21]

• Imitativeness, European, [25]
• Imitation—
  as a fine art, [19]
  of hall marks by Sheffield platers, [289], [290]
  decadence of wood engraving, [41]
• Imitations of Sheffield plate, [158]
• Inkstands, [181]
• Invention of silver plating by fusion, [45]
• Ireland, silver plating by fusion carried on in, [71]
• Irish dish or potato rings, [177]
• Irish Government offers premium (1783) for plated ware made in Ireland, [71]
• Irish hall marks on silver plate, [281], [282]
• Irish plated skewer marked "Sly," [262]

• Jackson, John, copyist of Reynolds, [21]
• Jugs, hot water, [227]

• Kettles, tea, [205]
• Knick-knacks, a world of (eighteenth century), [54]
• Knife handle of stamped Sheffield plate, [50]

• Lamb, Charles, quoted, [136]
• Liverpool silversmiths' work assayed at Chester, [278]
• Liverseege, Henry, copyist of Vandyck, [21]
• London, silver plating carried on at, [68]
• Louis XIV—
  orders silver plate to be melted, [23]
  his extravagant use of silver plate, [23]
  

• Marks—
  on French cabinet work, [237]
  on porcelain, [232]
  on Sheffield plate, [62], [63], [231];(illustrated), [286-293]
  (Sheffield plate) fear of platers to stamp any, [64], [67]
  on Sheffield plate resembling silver marks, [62], [63]
  on silver, position of, [273]
  
• Melting down of old Sheffield plate, [253]
• Mignard fabricates a Guido picture, [20]
• Missionary-fostered art, [26]
• Mustard pot, the, [148]

• Newcastle-upon-Tyne—
  hall marks on silver plate, [277]
  silversmiths at, [278]
• Nottingham, silver plated ware made at, [68]
• Nozzles, removable, their indication of date, [96]

• Old masters, drawings of, copied by David Allan, [21]
• Old masters, prints of, simulated by Goltzins, [20]
• Original silver plate design copied by platers, [143]
• Ornament—
  spiral, its abuse, [106]
  useless, failure of, [110]

• Parliamentary Committee on conduct of assay offices (1773), [63]
• Parsons and Co., Pattern Book, [181]
• Patch boxes, Sheffield plated, [54]
• Pattern Books, eighteenth century, silver platers', [74], [86], [89], [139]
• Penalties—
  counterfeiting Duty Mark (1815) punishable by death, [48]
  for fraud in old plate, [36], [62], [63]
  for wrongly stamping Sheffield plate, [67]
• Petition of the buckle makers, the, [264]
• Pinchbeck, Christopher, and his imitations, [54]
• Pipe lighter—
  Sheffield plate, [241]
  illustrated, [239]
• Pitt, epigrams by Porson on, [189]
• Plating, silver—
  early, [35]
  pre-fusion period, [35], [39]
  process described, [58]
  used fraudulently, [35]
• Pompeii, influence of art of, [116]
• Poor relations and their foibles, [136]
• Porcelain factories, Derby and Worcester, origin of, [49]
• Potato rings, Sheffield plated, [177]
• Potters, copy of silversmiths' designs by, [28], [31]
• Pottery, French, supplants silver plate, [24]
• Pounce pot, the, and its use, [182]
• Prince of Wales's feathers used in design, [153]
• Process of Sheffield silver plating described, [58]

• Rise in value of old Sheffield plate, [269]
• Romney picture of Serena (Miss Sneyd), [119]
• Ruskin and copies of Turner drawings, [22]

• "Salt, below the," its meaning, [136]
• Salt cellar, the, [135]
  the new style, [147]
• Sauce boats, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Scott, Sir Walter, his introduction of gas at Abbotsford, [116]
• Scottish hall marks on silver plate, [281]
• Seams a test of genuineness in Sheffield plate, [293]
• Sevrès porcelain makers' marks, [232]
• Shakespeare neglected by Addison and Steele, [51]
  revival of study of, [50]
• Sheffield—
  Assay Office, institution of, [40], [41]
  hall marks on silver plate, [277]
  origin of silver plating at, [39]
• Sheffield plate—
  old, destruction of, [253]
  wonderful technique of, [161]
• Sheffield platers—
  as to their originality, [143]
  deterred from placing any marks, [64], [67]
• Sheffield silver plate, makers of, eighteenth century, [278]
• Sheffield, silver plating process described, [58]
• Silver—
  duties in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, [48]
  price of, in eighteenth century, [47]
  lustre ware imitates silver plate, [35]
  marks, simulation of, by marks on Sheffield plate, [62], [63]
  plate designs copied by platers, [143]
  plate made at Sheffield assayed in London, [63]
  plate, value of hall marks on, [274]
  plating at Sheffield, origin of, [39]
  plating by fusion, its invention, [45]
  plating, early, [35]
  plating, the great period, [73]
• Silversmiths—
  copy of potters' designs by, [28], [31]
  list of late eighteenth century, [77]
  (London) who influenced Sheffield platers, [274]
• Simulation in art, [25], [28]
• Smith, J. R., engraving of Serena after Romney, [119]
• Spiral forms in candelabra, [100]
• Spectator, advertisement in (1712), [140]
• Spurious candelabra and their errors, [95]
• Steele, Richard, omits Shakespeare from list of great poets, [51]
• Steel toys, the, of Sheffield, [140]
• Sugar basin, the, [210]
  basins, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Supper table, the, [238]

• Taper holders, [181]
• Tea and coffee sets, [201]
• Tea caddies and their makers, [196]
• Tea kettles, [205]
• Teapots, [189]
  old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Tea urn, the, [202]
• Technique, wonderful, of Sheffield plate, [161]
• Tinder boxes, Sheffield plated, [286]
• Toasted cheese dishes, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Trencher salts, their use, [147]
• Tureens—
  old silver, London makers of, [274]
  soup, [220]
• Turner drawings, facsimiles of, [22]
• Tutenag, an alloy of antimony and zinc, [267]

• Urn, the tea, [202]
• Utility the true test of ornament, [110]

• Value of old Sheffield plate, [269]

• Ward, his replicas of Turner drawings, [22]
• Wedgwood, Josiah—
  shell-forms, adoption of, [31]
  carved wood models, use of, [31]
  indebted to metal-workers of Sheffield, [32]
• White metals, German silver, etc., [267]
• Wine coolers, old silver, London makers of, [274]
• Wine labels, Sheffield plated, [53]
• Wood engraving, decadence of, [41]
• Worcester china, workmen's marks on, [289]

• York, silversmiths at, [278]

Printed in Great Britain by

UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, LONDON AND WOKING

UNWIN'S "CHATS" SERIES

LIST OF VOLUMES

Chats on English China. By Arthur Hayden. Illustrated with reproductions of 156 marks and 89 specimens of china. Cloth, 9s. net.

Tenth Impression.

This is the standard work on the subject. The volume will enable the possessors of old china to determine the factories at which their ware was produced.

"It gives in a few chapters just what the beginner wants to know about the principal varieties of English ware. We can warmly commend the book to the china collector."

Pall Mall Gazette.

"So simply yet so thoroughly written, that it is a sage guide to the veriest tyro in china collecting."

Bookman.

Chats on Old Furniture. By Arthur Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece and 104 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.Fourth Edition.

Twelfth Impression.

"The hints to collectors are the best and clearest we have seen; so that altogether this is a model book of its kind."

Athenæum.

"A fully illustrated practical guide for collectors."

The Times.

"Mr. Hayden has worked at his subject on systematic lines, and has made his book what it purports to be—a practical guide for the collector."

The Saturday Review.

Chats on Old Prints. How to Collect and Identify. By Arthur Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece and 72 full-page plates. Cloth, 9s. net.

Seventh Impression.

Every branch of the subject is carefully and explicitly handled in this book, and valuable information as to technical processes and identification of prints is given.

"If there is a better book of its kind on print collecting we have not yet come across it."

Daily Graphic.

"A very useful handbook for beginners, intended to help any reader of artistic tastes, but very moderate means, to collect to good purpose."

The Times.

Chats on Costume. By G. Woolliscroft Rhead, R.E. With a coloured frontispiece and 117 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Second Impression.

A practical guide to historic dress. "Clothes" is a subject that has been neglected by collectors, and this book will be a useful guide to those who desire to repair that neglect by forming a collection.

"A book that is at once the work of an authority on the subject of costumes, and one that helps to enlarge our range of selection."

Pall Mall Gazette.

Chats on Old Miniatures. By J. J. Foster, F.S.A. With a coloured frontispiece and 116 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Second Impression.

This book presents in a concise and popular form a variety of valuable information on the collection and preservation of miniatures, on the leading English and French artists, and on the specimens exhibited in public galleries.

"Mr. Foster is truly a guide, philosopher and friend. He tells us not only how to judge and how to buy miniatures, but how to take proper care of them.... The splendid photographs by which the book is enriched adds in a great measure to its attractiveness and utility."

Aberdeen Free Press.

Chats on Old Lace and Needlework. By Mrs. Lowes. With a frontispiece and 74 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Third Impression.

Written by an expert and enthusiast in these most interesting branches of art. The low price at which the work is issued is exceptional in dealing with these subjects, and it is remarkable in view of the technical knowledge displayed and the many photographic illustrations which practically interleave the book.

"In commendable, clear and concise style Mrs. Lowes explains the technical features distinguishing each example, making the book the utmost value in identifying samples of old lace."—Weldon's Ladies' Jour.

Chats on Oriental China. By J. F. Blacker. With a coloured frontispiece and 70 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Fifth Impression.

Will be of the utmost service to collectors and to all who may have old Chinese and Japanese porcelain in their possession. It deals with oriental china from the various standpoints of history, technique, age, marks and values, and is richly illustrated with admirable reproductions.

"A treatise that is so informing and comprehensive that it commands the prompt recognisation of all who value the choice productions of the oriental artists.... The illustrations are numerous and invaluable to the attainment of expert knowledge, and the result is a handbook that is as indispensable as it is unique."

Pall Mall Gazette.

Chats on English Earthenware. A companion volume to "Chats on English China." By Arthur Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece, 150 Illustrations and tables of over 200 illustrated marks.

Cloth,9s. net.

Fourth Impression.

"To the ever-increasing number of collectors who are taking an interest in old English pottery... will be found one of the most delightful, as it is a practical work on a fascinating subject."

Hearth and Home.

"Here we have a handbook, written by a well-known authority, which gives in the concisest possible form all the information that the beginner in earthenware collecting is likely to need. Moreover, it contains one or two features that are not usually found in the multifarious 'guides' that are produced to-day."

Nation.

Chats on Autographs. By A. M. Broadley. With 130 Illustrations.

Cloth, 9s. net.

"Being an expert collector, Mr. Broadley not only discourses on the kinds of autograph he owns, but gives some excellent cautionary advice and a valuable 'caveat emptor' chapter for the benefit of other collectors."

Westminster Gazette.

"It is assuredly the best work of the kind yet given to the public; and supplies the intending collector with the various sources of information necessary to his equipment."

Manchester Guardian.

Chats on Old Pewter. By H. J. L. J. Massé, M.A. With 52 half-tone and numerous other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Third Impression.

"It is a remarkably thorough and well-arranged guide to the subject, supplied with useful illustrations and with lists of pewterers and of their marks so complete as to make it a very complete and satisfactory book of reference."

Manchester Guardian.

"Before setting out to collect old pewter it would be as well to read Mr. Massé's book, which is exhaustive in its information and its lists of pewterers, analytical index, and historical and technical chapters."

Spectator.

Chats on Postage Stamps. By Fred J. Melville. With 57 half-tone and 17 line Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Second Impression.

"The whole book, with its numerous illustrations of excellent quality, is a vade mecum for stamp collectors, even though their efforts may be but modest; we congratulate Mr. Melville on a remarkably good guide, which makes fascinating reading."

Academy.

"There is no doubt that Mr. Melville's book fills a void. There is nothing exactly like it. Agreeably written in a popular style and adequately illustrated, it is certainly one of the best guides to philatelic knowledge that have yet been published."

World.

Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets. By MacIver Percival. With nearly 300 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

"The book is very thorough, dealing as it does with classic, antique and modern ornaments; with gold, silver, steel and pinchbeck; with the precious stones, the commoner stones and imitation."—Outlook.

"'Chats on Old Jewellery and Trinkets' is a book which will enable every woman to turn over her jewel-case with a fresh interest and a new intelligence; a practical guide for the humble but anxious collector.... A good glossary of technicalities and many excellent illustrations complete a valuable contribution to collector's lore."

Illustrated London News.

Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture. A companion volume to "Chats on Old Furniture." By Arthur Hayden. With a coloured frontispiece and 75 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Third Impression.

"One gets very much for one's money in this book. Seventy-three full-page illustrations in half-tone embellish a letterpress which is replete with wise description and valuable hints."

Vanity Fair.

"Mr. Hayden's book is a guide to all sorts of desirable and simple furniture, from Stuart to Georgian, and it is a delight to read as well as a sure help to selection."

Pall Mall Gazette.

"Mr. Hayden writes lucidly and is careful and accurate in his statements; while the advice he gives to collectors is both sound and reasonable."

Westminster Gazette.

Chats on Old Coins. By Fred W. Burgess. With a coloured frontispiece and 258 other Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. net.

Second Impression.

"A most useful and instructive book... will prove a boon to the intending collector of old coins and tokens, and full of interest to every collector. As was to be expected of any volume of this series, the illustrations are numerous and good, and greatly assist the reader to grasp the essentials of the author's descriptions."

Outlook.

"The author has not only produced 'a practical guide for the collector' but a handy book of reference for all. The volume is wonderfully cheap."

Notes and Queries.

Chats on Old Copper and Brass. By Fred W. Burgess. With a coloured frontispiece and 86 other Illustrations.

Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. F. W. Burgess is an expert on old copper and bronze, and in his book there is little information lacking which the most ardent collector might want."

The Observer.

"Italian bronzes, African charms, Chinese and Japanese enamels, bells, mortars, Indian idols, dials, candlesticks, and snuff boxes, all come in for their share of attention, and the reader who has mastered Mr. Burgess's pages can face his rival in the auction-room or the dealer in his shop with little fear of suffering by the transaction."

The Nation.

Chats on Household Curios. By Fred W. Burgess. With 94 Illustrations.

Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. Burgess gives much information about such attractive antiques as old glass and enamels, old leather work, old clocks and watches, old pipes, old seals, musical instruments, and even old samplers and children's toys. The book is, in short, an excellent and comprehensive guide for what one may call the general collector, that is, the collector who does not confine himself to one class of antique, but buys whatever he comes across in the curio line, provided that it is interesting and at moderate price."

Aberdeen Free Press.

Chats on Japanese Prints. By Arthur Davison Ficke. With a coloured frontispiece and 56 Illustrations.

Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Impression.

"Mr. Ficke writes with the knowledge of the expert, and his history of Japanese printing from very early times and his criticism of the artists' work are wonderfully interesting."

Tatler.

"This is one of the most delightful and notable members of an attractive series.... A beginner who shall have mastered and made thoroughly his own the beauty of line and the various subtlety and boldness of linear composition displayed in these sixty and odd photographs will have no mean foundation for further study."—Notes and Queries.

Chats on Old Clocks. By Arthur Hayden. With a frontispiece and 80 Illustrations. 2nd Ed. Cloth, 9s. net.

"A practical handbook dealing with the examples of old clocks likely to come under the observation of the collector. Charmingly written and illustrated."

Outlook.

"One specially useful feature of the work is the prominence Mr. Hayden has given to the makers of clocks, dealing not only with those of London, but also those of the leading provincial towns. The lists he gives of the latter are highly valuable, as they are not to be found in any similar book. The volume is, as usual with this series, profusely illustrated, and may be recommended as a highly interesting and useful general guide to collectors of clocks."

The Connoisseur.

Chats on Old Silver. By Arthur Hayden. With a frontispiece, 99 full-page Illustrations, and illustrated table of marks.

Cloth, 9s. net. Fourth Impression.

"Mr. Hayden's 'Chats on Old Silver' deals very thoroughly with a popular branch of collecting. There are a hundred full-page illustrations together with illustrated tables and charts, and the student of this book can wander round the old curiosity shops of these islands with a valuable equipment of knowledge.... Altogether we have here a well-written summary of everything that one could wish to know about this branch of collecting."

The Sphere.

"The information it gives will be of exceptional value at this time, when so many families will be forced to part with their treasures—and old silver is among the most precious possessions of the present day."

Morning Post.

Chats on Military Curios. By Stanley C. Johnson, M.A., D.Sc. With a coloured frontispiece and 79 other Illustrations.

Cloth, 9s. net.

"Mr. Johnson in this book describes many of the articles a collector should be on the look out for, giving short but informative notes on medals, helmet and cap badges, tunic buttons, armour, weapons of all kinds, medallions, autographs, original documents relating to Army work, military pictures and prints, newspaper cuttings, obsolete uniforms, crests, stamps, postmarks, memorial brasses, money and curios made by prisoners of war, while there is also an excellent biography on the subject. The author has, indeed, presented the reader with a capital working handbook, which should prove a friendly and reliable guide when he goes collecting."

Field.

Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain. By Arthur Hayden. With a frontispiece, 56 full-page Illustrations and illustrated tables of marks.

Cloth, 9s. net.

"This very beautiful and very valuable book will be eagerly welcomed by lovers of porcelain.... Mr. Hayden describes with great skill and preciseness all the quality and beauty of technique in which this porcelain excels; he loves it and understands it, and the examples he has chosen as illustrations are a valuable supplement to his descriptions."

Bookman.

Chats on Old Sheffield Plate. By Arthur Hayden. With frontispiece and 58 full-page Illustrations, together with makers' marks.

Cloth, 9s. net.

Old plated ware has, by reason of its artistic excellence and its technique, deservedly won favour with collectors. The art of making plated ware, which originated at Sheffield (hence the name of "Sheffield plate"), was continued at Birmingham and London, where a considerable amount of "old Sheffield plate" was made, in the manner of its first inventors, by welding sheets of silver upon copper. The manufacture lasted roughly a hundred years. Its best period was from 1776 (American Declaration of Independence) to 1830 (Accession of William IV). The author shows reasons why this old Sheffield plate should be collected, and the volume is illustrated with many examples giving various styles and the development of the art, together with makers' marks. Candlesticks and candelabra, tea-caddies, sugar-baskets, salt-cellars, teapots, coffee-pots, salvers, spoons, and many other articles shown and described in the volume indicate the exquisite craftsmanship of the best period. The work stands as a companion volume to the author's "Chats on Old Silver," the standard practical guide to old English silver collecting.

T. FISHER UNWIN LTD. 1 ADELPHI TERRACE, LONDON, W.C. 2

Transcriber's Notes:
1. Illustrations and footnotes have been moved to end of paragraphs.
2. Page numbers for blank pages have been removed.