Art Deco became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s and was a movement against the naturalistic feel of the Art Nouveau designs. Art Deco drew together various elements, such as structured floral motifs, stylized curves, geometric shapes and abstract patterns. Art Deco was also known as Art Moderne. It was characterised by geometric patterns to symbolise the expanse of the machine age. Art Deco was influenced from Far and Middle East design, Greek and Roman themes, and also Egyptian and Mayan influence. It was popular in silver, glassware and jewellery.

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Baroque  is a highly ornate and often extravagant style of architecture, music, painting, sculpture and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th until the mid-18th century. It followed the Renaissance style and preceded the Rococo (in the past often referred to as “late Baroque”) and Neoclassical styles. It was encouraged by the Catholic Church as a means to counter the simplicity and austerity of Protestant architecture, art and music, though Lutheran Baroque art developed in parts of Europe as well. The Baroque style used contrast, movement, exuberant detail, deep colour, grandeur and surprise to achieve a sense of awe. The style began at the start of the 17th century in Rome, then spread rapidly to France, northern Italy, Spain and Portugal, then to Austria and southern Germany. By the 1730s, it had evolved into an even more flamboyant style, called rocaille or Rococo, which appeared in France and central Europe until the mid to late 18th century. Reference: Wikipedia

Seventeenth Century Silver was very much influenced by the Huguenot silversmiths. These were refugees who leftt their French homeland because of religious persecution. English aristocrats of the time, had a love of French Style and fine craftsmanship so supported these exiles. The Huguenots, , were protected from the religious persecution of Catholic rulers until Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685. In 1688 William of Orange issued a proclamation encouraging Huguenot settlement in England.

The Huguenots produced some of the finest silver items of the time having been trained in the latest French Court styles. Their skills and styles continued to influence silversmithing into the 1760s. England was an extremely prosperous nation at this time and the demand for silver increased. Silver was a way of displaying wealth and social status. Tureens and Sauce Boats were introduced during this era due to the introduction of French Cruisine. Tea, chocolate and coffee were introduced to England in the 1650s resulting in the creation of new vessels such as teapots and coffee pots.

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The Art Nouveau style was developed internationally in the 1880’s and lasted until around 1914. Art Nouveau styles were seen in metal work, including silver, public buildings, advertisements and private homes throughout Europe and North America. It was a response to rapid urban growth and radical changes caused by the Industrial Revolution and the technological advances that followed. It was also an attempt to create an international style based on decoration and was developed by many brilliant artists and designers who strived to develop an art form appropriate to the modern age.

The name was derived from the Maison de l’Art Nouveau, an interior design gallery which opened in Paris in 1896 and means New Art. Although many Art Nouveau items are not as scarce as earlier Georgian and Rococco items due to mass production of the times, Art Nouveau is still extremely collectible in its own right and it is not hard to see why. The Art Nouveau style is beautiful and characterised with flowing floral patterns and unusual leaf like shapes. It is a style which fits in with any type of decor from modern to traditional style of furnishings. The movement has also been associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, a predominantly English art movement strongly driven by William Morris (1834-1896).

Art Nouveau is style which mixed old customs and traditions with new. While some designers were influenced by new technologies other retreated to the past and used fantasy, myths and spiritual influences. Cherubs were often portrayed in Art Nouveau styles as they relected the virtuous ideals of the time. They were a spiritual contrast to the coldness of the Industrial Revolution. They could be found in literature, paintings and also embossed in silver. Silver lidded jewellery boxes were often covered with cherubs, hearts and flower. They were associated with the Romantic Movement and conveyed the message of love. Trinket Boxes were often presented to ladies by their admirers.

Items designed by renowned names such as Liberty & Co, Tiffany, Georg Jensen, and Lalique (famous for glass and jewellery) are widely sought after.

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The Rococo style of art and design began in France in the early 18th century and was soon introduced to England in the early 1720’s. It followed on from the Baroque style. Rococo designs focused on the carefree aristocratic life and on lighthearted romance. It also revolved heavily around nature.

Rococo in England was considered as the “French taste.” This is now regarded as one of Frances most original and attractive contribution to the Arts. Silverwork, porcelain and silks were strongly influenced by the Rococo Style. Silversmiths embraced the style enthusiastically as it was such a contrast to the plainer elegant style of the Baroque period. Rococo silver is abundant with swirling patterns signifying the flow of water and floral designs and shells. The shell was a common motif and the word Rococo itself is actually a combination of the French word rocaille (shell) and the Italian word Barocco (Baroque Style).

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The Neoclassical Style became popular in the second half of the 18th Century. Neo-classical Style is largely based on the classical styles of Ancient Greece and Rome. It was a popular style at the time mainly due to the travelling of wealthy Englishmen and the intereste in the archeological excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the 1750’s. Rams Heads, Urns, Wreaths and Greek Key Borders were often used in silver designs with large areas often left plain. Neo-Classicism was linked to contemporary political events. It was also a replacement of the sensuality and triviality of the Rococo style with a style that was more logical, solemn and moralizing. Silver Makers often modelled candlesticks on the the classic fluted stone columns of the Greeks and Romans. When Napoleon I rose to power in France, the style was modified to serve his propagandistic needs.

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Gothic Silver. The Gothic style first appeared in the 12th century in the area around Paris. In architecture, Gothic buildings employed a variety of new techniques to pierce walls with larger windows and to build loftier spaces. In sculpture and the other figurative arts, the style combined the detailed observation of nature with an expressive elegance. Gothic quickly spread throughout Europe, and versions of the style were still in use as late as the 1550s. Reference: The Victoria and Albert Museum

A Gothic revival style occurred during the Victorian era. The style also found it’s way into many silver and other precious metal items.

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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.

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