OLD ENGLISH PLATE

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 23

OLD ENGLISH PLATE

PRICELESS PIECES ON < EXHIBITION THE ROYAL FAMILY’S CONTRIBUTION The Queen and Princess Mary Viscount - Lascelles saw recently at Sir Philip Sassoon’s house, 25 Park Lane, W., the finest loan collection of old j English plate ever seen at an exhibi- - tion in London (states the art critic of 5 the “Morning Post”). It will be remembered that Sir j Philip brought together last year a . remarkable collection of English era- - broidery, in aid of the Royal North- - ern Hospital, of which he is treasu- £ rer. The pieces then shown fully . illustrated English culture and crafts s from, the middle ages to the r Eighteenth Century. In another t phase of craftsmanship, the present 3 priceless pieces of plate represent the I culture of these Islands the - same long period. I The exhibition is wholly confined' to , the work of British artists in pre- ' cious metals, which is one of the ’ earliest of English crafts. , In Anglo-Saxon times our gold- ? smiths had already reached a high ’ standard of perfection, and in mediaej val times their art, like the Opus s Angelicanum, was in favour with , Popes and princes, and with cultured , people generally all over Europe. 1 Earliest Dated Pieces. ; Pieces of ecclesiastic plate still suri vive, but no secular plate of an earlier date than the fourteenth century is i known to exist in England. 1 .Sir Philip has been fortunate in 1 winning the concurrence of generous owners and trustees of ancient institutions. The Queen, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York have lent many beautiful pieces, and their example has been followed by public companies, colleges, and private individuals. The result is that the general public will have an opportunity of seeing daily (including .Sundays) from eleven ■to seven o’clock, until March 19, what is possibly the finest and most comprehensive collection of old English silver ever shown uuffer one roof, as Sir Philip Sassoon says in his foreword to the excellent catalogue compiled under the direction of Mr. Lionel Crichton, who, also, is responsible for the admirable arrangement of the exhibition. In the space at one’s disposal, it would be futile to attempt a detailed description of the collection. The contents of the centre case in the first room would themselves need several columns. Therefore, all that can be done is to give a brief summary of a few of the many outstanding pieces. The oldest object is the wonderful fourteenth century silver-gilt “drinking horn” (614) which became the property of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in 1352. From the same college also comes a splendid silvergilt mounted mazer bowl of the late fourteenth century (615), and a magnificent “Henry VIII rpsewater dish and ewer” (619). Superb Cups. New College, Oxford, sends a fine sixteenth century Pax (602), and among the superb standing cups is one dated 1554', once in the Green vaults collection, Dresden, now the property of Baton and Baroness Shroeder (78). Sir John Noble contributes the beautiful “Stoneyhurst” Elizabethan silver-gilt Salt (36), a second belongs to the Corporation of Norwich, with the city hall mark of 1568, and Lady Mountbatten sends 23 pieces, including the Bacon cup and cover of 1574 (228), one of three made from the Great Seal of England. Then there are seventeenth century goblets, tankards, and cups, a rare fruit basket of 1641, and pieces of the Charles I Cromwellian, Restoration, and William and Mary periods. There are lent, also, beautiful pieces by famous craftsmen such as Pierre Harache, David Willaume, Pierre Platel, and Paul Lamerie, as well as part of the Lord Brownlow collection, which is to be sold at Christie’s on March 13.

The aim of the organisers of the exhibition has been amply fulfilled, insofar as careful selection is concerned Students of the goldsmith’s art will find the exhibition of the greatest educational value. It ought to have much influence on original thought and technical expression, and lessen the reliance, of present-day craftsmen on slavish imitation. Nor should its value be forgotten by those who study the table decoration and domestic appointments of bygone generations. It remains with the general public to crown the promoters’ efforts by going in large numbers to 25 Park Lane during the next fortnight.