1-2 Assessment of the Collection by Dr. Thomas Sinsteden 3-10 Letter from Mr Michael Kenny

CONTENTS Page Letter from Mr. Raghnall Ó Floinn Director, National Museum of Ireland 1-2 Assessment of the Collection by Dr. Thomas Sinsteden 3-10 Letter from Mr Michael Kenny Keeper (Retired), Art and Industrial Division, National Museum of Ireland 11-13 Introduction by Jennifer Goff Curator of Furniture, Music, Science & the Eileen Gray Collection 14-16 The Silver Collection 17-122 To whom it may concern The collection of Irish silver in the National Museum of Ireland is one of the highlights of the national collections and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It represents over a century of judicious collecting by successive museum curators augmented by a small number of key donations by individuals and collectors. The one hundred-odd pieces of Irish silver in the collection being offered and dating primarily to the eighteenth century is exceptional for a number of reasons: it complements the Museum’s existing holdings, it contains pieces by makers not already represented in the collections or includes pieces that otherwise augment and fill in key gaps in our holdings and are all of exceptional quality. It includes rare pieces of provincial silver, such as the early silver teapot by the Cork silversmith Thomas Lilly, as well as items of historical importance like the unique presentation trowel used to lay the foundation stone for the ill-fated Huguenot settlement at New Geneva, Co. Waterford. Its acquisition would transform the National Museum of Ireland’s collection into the premier collection of its type, surpassing the Irish silver holdings of rival institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the San Antonio Museum, Texas. Collections of this quality are exceptionally rare and are not normally offered for sale collectively but are usually sold off as individual lots. The dispersal of this collection piecemeal either by private treaty or at auction would represent a great loss to the country. Its purchase and donation to the national collections would be a philanthropic gesture of the highest calibre, raising the national profile of the donor along with associated publicity if so desired. Should the Museum acquire the collection from a donor, we would undertake to put the collection on exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks for a period of at least one year. The Museum would host a high-profile exhibition opening. The collection would be named after the donor/sponsor if so desired, but should the donor wish to remain anonymous, the Museum would respect this and anonymity is provided for in the donation process. Yours sincerely, Raghnall Ó Floinn Director National Museum of Ireland ASSESSMENT OF A LARGE COLLECTION OF IRISH SILVER TO COMPLEMENT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRELAND AT COLLINS BARRACKS by Dr. Thomas Sinsteden Several major collections of Irish silver exist in America, Ireland and England yet the Irish silver held by the National Museum of Ireland at Collins Barracks is the strongest of any collection in existence. However it is far from a complete representation of the work that emanated from an extraordinary gifted and prolific group of artisans, highly ranked on a world wide scale. These craftsmen were and are organised by the Goldsmiths Guild of Dublin from the time of Charles I till the present, a unique achievement in itself. The output of these craftsmen in the 18 th century was approximately 1 oz of silver per inhabitant per year, similar to leading cities of the world, such as London or Paris. In the 18 th century their work in Dublin represented about 2-5 % of Dublin’s GDP. In Cork the numbers were similar. For this reason alone their work should be well represented and with as few gaps as possible in an Irish public institution such as the National Museum. Of the 100 lots described in the catalogue there are a number of items which would enhance the Museum’s collection considerably. There is work from several important Irish goldsmith’s workshops that are so far not represented in the Museum. There are several silver items documenting important Irish historical events, which should remain in Ireland and be viewable to the public. There are several items of unusual style for the period of manufacture and thus rare. There is silver commissioned by prominent Irish families with their arms engraved upon them, a characteristic that makes the collecting and preservation of old silver imperative as a historical record of cultures past. 1: Of particular delight to my appreciation of Irish silver is the strawberry dish by John Pennefather, hailing from a Tipperary family, working in Dublin in the early 18 th century, engraved with the Wexford/Kilkenny family arms of Boyse. Records show that Pennefather did not have a large workshop and thus it is not surprising that only a few items from his workshop have survived. Not far from where I sit now, hangs a painting by French artist Desportes, a still life flower piece with a silver dish just like this Irish one filled with strawberries. Of course dishes are used for whatever suits yet this oil painting of circa 1700 once owned by Mrs Firestone, justifies the name of strawberry dishes for these attractive scalloped dishes. They speak of a Huguenot origin. It did not take long for fashions to spread from the continent via England to Ireland nor did the challenge for the quality of Huguenot craftsmanship escape the Irish goldsmith. 2: Of the provincial silver in the collection special mention is directed at the small Cork plain bullet tea pot by Thomas Lilly. He is one of the earlier Cork silversmiths working much in the style and quality of his contemporary William Clarke. Irish bullet tea pots of the George I period are rare so to have one from Cork would fill a much needed gap in the Museums provincial collection. It is a pity that the teapot does not have a family crest but this lack is compensated since the pot is marked with Dublin hallmarks for 1723. Very few Cork or Limerick pieces were transported to Dublin for hallmarking in the first half of the 18 th century, so any provincial pieces surviving with Dublin hallmarks and provincial makers or sponsors marks are of great interest. It shows that the provincial towns did make an effort to abide by the hallmarking laws in spite of the considerable risk to transport the manufactured silver to Dublin and back. On a rare occasion one can also find the typical Sterling mark hinting that the Dublin Goldsmiths Company turned a blind eye to the provincial towns using their own system of quality control in defiance to the hallmarking laws which state that all silver wrought in Ireland was to be hallmarked in Dublin. It also shows that the provincial towns took great pride in their sterling standard. When one analyses Cork silver for metal content on average the silver content is more compliant to sterling standard than Dublin silver. This may reflect that Cork silver was mostly wrought from melted down coins rather than a mixture of bullion and recycled old silver so commonly practiced in Dublin. 3: Thomas Isack is a noteworthy Dublin goldsmith whose work is as yet not represented in the Museum collection. He signed his name as Thomas Isack as warden of the company in 1745. Although his workshop was small and only worked for about ten years around the 1740’s his few surviving items are of high quality. The orange strainer is one of two known by Thomas Isack and this one has a contemporary crest for an as yet unidentified family. A large and of superb quality tankard in Danish style, so like the examples made by William Plummer of York in the late 17 th Century, shows that there was interest in creating revival styles in the mid-18 th century in Dublin. 4: A set of four William & Mary style columnar candlesticks by John Grayham are another interesting example of replicating a style that was fifty years out of date. These example are cast, as opposed to raised by repoussee work done in the William & Mary period, giving these candlesticks a heavier gauge yet they are finely finished, We know that fashions today have such a strong influence on our society that we have to have the latest. It was not much different in the 18 th century for those who could afford it. As with architecture, silver is a wonderful medium where one can follow the change of styles from the plain faceted silver of the Queen Anne period to the exuberance of the rococo to the dainty but classical lines of the Adams period. Occasionally revival periods take hold like in the mid-18 th century chinoiserie so popular in the 1680’s-once again became popular. Replicas of older styles have always been made and still are today. 5: A shaped circular salver, not of extraordinary craftsmanship but engraved with the arms of an extraordinary important Irish family. This salver is engraved with the arms of Caulfield impaling Hickman, for James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont, a man of significant historical importance to Ireland. Charlemont was a strong proponent for Irish manufacture and even supported the goldsmith trade. He was a learned man who went on the Grand Tour as a young man and as with other prominent English and Irish aristocrats was painted by Batoni. As a result of his travels James was particularly interested in architecture and commissioned William Chambers to design and build the Casino at the Marino in Dublin, one of the most idealistic buildings in Europe.

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