Dining silver
Plates, salvers, tureens, and other items of dining silver first appeared in the late 17th century, when the complete dinner service, NN ith matching dishes and cutlery, was introduced at the French court. From that period, and especially in the 18th century, elaborate dining silver in the latest fashions was often used to display the wealth and status of the host, and finely engraved coats of arms or crests, identifying the owner, are common features of items such as salvers. For collectors today, heavy and elaborately decorated items including tureens and centrepieces are generally more rare and expensive than flatware, utilitarian drinking vessels such as tankards, and casters, cruets, mustard-pots, and salt-cellars, all available in a great variety of styles.
Plates and salvers
Dinner services, comprising individual plates and cutlery as well as serving dishes for specific courses and foods, were first introduced at the French court in the late 17th -century. Initially they were the preserve of royalty and the aristocracy, but the fashion for complete services spread in the early 18th century to the minor nobility and gentry, who often acquired different parts of the service over a period of time as their finances allowed. Silver plates, of various sizes, were generally made in sets of 12 (and are normally sold as such today). On both plates and salvers, the main decorative feature is usually the engraved coat of arms or crest of the owner, and sometimes the engraving is of very high quality.
PLATES
The earliest plates found on the market today tend to date from the early 18th century, when the first complete dinner services were made. These plates are seldom larger than 25cm (10in) in diameter and are starkly plain, except for a crest or coat of arms engraved on the broad, flat rim. Marks on these plates are generally found on the underside of the rim and should be clearly visible.
Missing or distorted marks usually indicate that the
plate has been altered; new borders may have been added and the rim reshaped to accommodate them.
More common than early 18th-century
plates are those dating from the 1740s
onward. During this time the fashion
for complete dinner services, unified by
matching ornament, reached its peak
and the custom of dining on a grand scale
necessitated services of up to 200 pieces. The standard service included six dozen meat plates, generally 25cm (10in) in
diameter (first-course and dessert plates were slightly smaller), and two dozen soup plates. Larger oval dishes for serving roasts were also made en suite.
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century plates vary little in design except for the borders. During the 1730s the broad, plain, flat rim was replaced by a narrower, wavy rim (giving the plate a five-sided appearance) with gadrooning. With the development of the Rococo style in the 1740s, shell and gadrooned borders became most common; some of the finest plates have separately cast and applied borders, which should be marked. Simpler patterns of reed-and-tie or beading became fashionable in the 1770s and 1780s. The more elaborate gadroon, shell, and foliage border is characteristic of the Regency period. After about 1840 porcelain services were more popular than silver, and most silver plates made were replacements for or additions to earlier services.
17TH- TO EARLY 18TH-CENTURY SALVERS
Dating from the mid-17th century, the earliest salvers were of thin-gauge metal with a raised central foot, and were made as stands for porringers or candle cups. The finest examples were gilded and richly chased and embossed around the border with acanthus leaves, fruit, and flowers in the Dutch Baroque style. From (.1680 to (.1720 heavier-gauge metal was used, and the central foot, sometimes detachable, was often strengthened with applied cut-card work. In the 1720s the central foot was replaced by three or four small cast (usually bracket) feet, eet, especially on the rarer square, octagonal, or octafoi I -sh aped salvers popular during this period. Salvers before c.1740 often had moulded and applied rims of convex and concave curves.
LATER 18TH- AND 19TH-CENTURY SALVERS
Like plates, salvers from (.1740 onward are generally circular or five- or six-sided in shape, with only the borders and engraved armorials changing in style. On salvers, however, the armorials usually appear in
the centre rather than on the rim. The style of engraving should be contemporary with that of the border and correspond to the date of the marks. In the Baroque period, designs of arms and cartouches were relatively symmetrical, with strapwork and interlacing scrolls; the finest designs on English pieces were by Huguenot engravers such as the Gribelin fatuity.
In the mid-18th century, delicate, asymmetrical designs of flowers, shells, and scrolls reflected Rococo fashions. Salvers were particularly in demand for carrying tea and coffee services. Smaller versions, known as “waiters” (generally less than 20cm/8in in diameter),
ENGRAVING
Engraved designs were traditionally cut into the metal surface by hand with a sharp steel tool known as a “burin” or “graver”; today, most engraving is done
by machine. The technique was particularly popular for reproducing coats of arms, ciphers, and crests. Some of the finest engraving was done in early 18th-century England by such specialists as William Hogarth (1697-1764) and Simon Gribelin (1661-1733). The style of engraving can help to date a piece, but it is not always a reliable method as arms were often re-engraved with a change of ownership.
were also made, and sets of two or more salvers became common. The largest, measuring up to 38cm (15in would usually be engraved with a coat of arms; smaller ones (15-20cm/6-8in) had only a crest. Elaborate Rococo borders appeared, sometimes cast separately, featuring forward and reverse scrolls interspersed with shells, and feet took the form of scrolls or shells. The finest salvers were also flat-chased around the outer edge with designs of scrolls, shells, and foliage.
In the Neo-classical period more restrained borders of gadrooning, reeding, and beading, together with bright-cut engraving of ribbons, husks, and swags, were introduced. However, the taste for more ornate plate in the Regency period led to the appearance of large and heavy, often silver-gilt, salvers with paw feet and richly cast borders of shells, vine leaves, and gadrooning. Throughout the 19th century salvers in 18th-century styles were popular; some earlier salvers were also redecorated with chasing, but the 19th-century style is more elaborate and covers more of the flat surface than on 18th-century examples.

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