Huguenot Society members guests of silver handling session at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Private Silver Handling Session
Members were seated for a private handling session of Huguenot produced, engraved and gilded silver accompanied by a detailed history and information on each piece.
Without question today was a remarkable day. This morning members of the Huguenot Society England 2025 tour experienced a very special handling session at the Victoria and Albert Museum of selections from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection presented by Alice Minter, Curator. Joining Alice was fellow Curator, Jessica Insley. The experience was graciously arranged by Dr. Tessa Murdoch, Chair, Huguenot Museum. Readers may click here to learn more about the origins of the collection.
The two hour session began with the earliest pieces produced by Huguenot immigrants to England and moved onward to pieces produced by the next generations of descendants of the Huguenots. The members learned of the influence of the French court in the design elements and the later English influences.
There were a few pieces that brought a gasp to the members. One being a large bucket with an ornate lid made of Britannia silver which is a silver alloy containing 95.8% silver and 4.2% copper. It's known for its purity and was historically used in Britain for silversmithing. It is quite heavy to lift and has a much heavier feeling than the sterling pieces we are used to. It was introduced to the silversmithing trade in 1697 in Britain. The next gasp came with a massive pitcher with ornate decoration of Neptune, a mermaid, small salamanders, along with a coat of arms with the motto Vincit Veritas (truth prevails.) A large soup terrine was especially interesting with its removable interior bowl and decorative elements of corn and fish indicating it could present soups of all sorts at the table or side board.
The first piece
The members enjoyed guessing what this beautiful saucer, cup and lid were designed for… it is for hot chocolate (le chocolat chaud.) Not the kind we are used to today. At the time this piece was produced chocolate was a precious commodity and it was quite dark and bitter. It made a thick beverage served in moderation.
Whiskey Flask
This beautiful flask is also a Huguenot maker and it featured a coat of arms on the face. The intricacy of the engraving was quite impressive on this piece.
Britannia Silver
This magnificent piece was of Britannia silver. The intricate design around the base of the bucket is a completely separate piece of silver which is produced and then applied to the bucket which is very difficult given how small it is and how thin it is overall. The heat of the application could easily damage the bucket if not controlled. The lid features a reverse of the application with a slightly more pronounced fleur-de-lis.
Soup Terrine
This is three pieces: a bowl, a second inside bowl and a lid. Each foot of the bowl is the foot of a lion which then graces the side of the bowl to the edge. The use of corn with the husk and other elements indicates it would be used for various types of soup.
The pièce de résistance
Member Bessie Hanahan studies the most amazing piece of the day. This is a highly decorative item and may have been used for rose water. Given how heavy the piece was the group could not imagine it being filled with water and then managed by anyone to lift and pour it. It was decorated with a figure of Neptune and had a mermaid for a handle. A truly stunning piece of work.
There were many pieces of silver enjoyed and the education on production, engraving and stylistic influences was so interesting. We learned that Huguenot craftsmen would often sub contract portions of large pieces meaning one would make the piece, another would engrave it, another might burnish it, and then another might enhance it further. They were typically located a few doors apart so we can envision this working on one or two streets with pieces moving from one shop to another, one expert in a particular part of the craft to another. They worked in both silver and gold. Several pieces we saw were gilded inside. This brings us to a terrible tragedy of the creative process: mercury gilding. This is a process that involves a gold-mercury amalgam applied to and then heated, causing the mercury to evaporate and leave a thin, durable gold layer. While this yielded a high shine, the craftsmen who specialized in it were often made quite ill from the mercury. It was an incredibly toxic profession later outlawed during the Victorian period.
When the session concluded, members were escorted through the silver hall to see a few more pieces with Dr. Murdoch before settling in for a nice lunch in the garden cafe of the museum. It was a very unique and special experience to see the work up close and to handle the pieces. The curators were masters of the subject and brought the artists to life for the group.
The afternoon was enjoyed at the French Protestant Church of London in Soho. More to come on that with a later post.