The Huguenot Legacy
English Silver 1680-1760
from the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection
Christopher Hartop
Obtainable from any good bookseller or from: |
John Adamson: 90 Hertford Street, Cambridge CB4 3AQ, UK
e-mail: Book orders
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In 1685 Louis XIV revoked the
Edict of Nantes, which had given religious freedom to the French protestants, or Huguenots. What had been a steady
stream of refugees became a flood, creating a tremendous diaspora of talent across northern Europe.
Many of the Huguenots were skilled artists, like silversmiths, and their influence on English silver of
the period has long been recognized. In this book Christopher Hartop re-assesses the
Huguenot contribution to silver made in England and suggests that the Huguenots were
just onealbeit the most significantof several groups of foreign workers who were
responsible for the great flowering of style and technique in English silver between 1680
and 1760.
The book also examines the radical changes in the way in which people sat down to eat
which took place during the early Georgian period, and how silversmiths responded to the
demand for innovative types of silverware this created. The new fashion for coffee and tea
also saw the introduction of a wealth of new forms of domestic silver. Separate sections
deal with silver for eating, drinking, coffee and tea, lighting and salvers. Silver made for
display is also examined. Introductory chapters place the silver of the period in the social
and historical context of the times.
Winner of the 1997 National Huguenot Society
Prize for the best original work of scholarship covering any aspect of the
Huguenot movement
See Christopher Hartops article on Huguenot Silver published in
Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of Great
Britain and Ireland
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Foreword by Ellenor Alcorn
Acknowledgements
Introduction
- Art or Industry?
- The English scene 1680-1760
- Patrons and consumers
- Dining and drinking
- Craftsmen and suppliers
- Styles and designs
A note about the arrangement of the catalogue
References frequently cited for makers marks
Catalogue
- Display and official plate
The Wentworth plate
The Chesterfield plate
Other display and official plate
- Silver for the dining table
- Silver for drinking
- Silver for coffee, tea and chocolate
- Salvers and waiters
- Silver for lighting
- Silver for the bedroom and writing table
Glossary
Further reading
Index
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The production of this valuable addition to the library of the silver addict
is of exceptional quality. Silver is notoriously difficult to reproduce convincingly
and the lifelikeness of the illustrations which truly leap from the page,
is a tribute to the photographers and production team alike. The
well-illustrated personal history of many of the original owners of
the pieces contributes much to their background and paints the
wealth and splendour of one of the greatest periods in the
production of English silver in which the immigrants contributed
so much. A volume to be treasured indeed. Arthur Grimwade
Huguenot Society
As an exhibition catalogue, The Huguenot Legacy is
enormously detailed in augmenting our understanding of the
effect of the Huguenot conquest (particularly in the field
of silver) ... it [also] proclaims the remarkable collection put
together by Alan and Simone Hartman in the relatively short
space of fifteen years. Theirs is the only such assembled
collection, other than the earlier Wilding Bequest ... that
seeks specifically to define the parameters of Huguenot silver
in England. Jolyon Warwick James Silver Magazine
Hartop shows how Londoners fascination with all
things Continental paved the way for the innovations of the
English rococo. He brings to life the interdependent web of
modelers, chasers, casters, engravers, finishers, and
retailers who contributed to the finished product. Of great
significance is Hartops explanation that the makers mark that
appears on important commissions is no indication of authorship
because of the intricate web of specialists at work in London.
Maine Antique Digest
Unlike many silver exhibitions, this one is less concerned
with who made the objects and how valuable they are. Instead,
it documents the development of the English obsession with
French taste and how the influence of artisans trained for
the French court made it possible for British nobility to
realize their ambitions. Paula Deitz The New York Times
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Christopher Hartops books include
East Anglian Silver (2004), Royal Goldsmiths: The Art of Rundell & Bridge (2005),
A Noble Feast (2008), The Classical Ideal (2010), A Noble Pursuit (2010) and
Norfolk Summer: Making The Go-Between (2011).
christopherhartop.com
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Contact the
distributor for further information:
e-mail: book enquiries,
letter: John Adamson, 90 Hertford Street, Cambridge CB4 3AQ, England
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Please print off the order form and
send it by mail to John Adamson, 90 Hertford Street, Cambridge CB4 3AQ, England.
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