Elizabethan and Jacobean Silver

Although Elizabethan and Jacobean silver was mainly used for ecclesiastical silver and coins the rapid growth in population and expansion of the middle and upper classes lead to a significant increase in the demand for domestic silver. During the period 1600–1800 the production of silver in the British Isles served a growing class of people who could afford such objects, from magnificent ornate objects to ordinary tablewears. It was often customary to carry personal eating utensils when travelling. This gave rise to the Seal Top Spoon as it was a useful and convenient way to seal documents on route. These spoons were often manufactured with the owner’s seal on the end of the handle. Elizabethan and Jacobean Silver ranged from domestic wares, church items such as chalices and jewellery. Elizabethan silver, is often decorated with embossed sculptural vegetal forms, fruit, grotesque figures, and strapwork. Jacobean Silver tended to reflect the preferences of the monarch James I of England and VI of Scotland. These were more conservative. Norwich Silversmiths were renowned for their secular silver and produced some outstanding pieces. Elizabethan Norwich made plate is often equal to the best London plate of that period. Many silver makers used marks rather than initials during this time. Such marks are the Orb and Cross, Flat Fish, and Sun in Splendour.