Silverware

“ The York records disclose that there were an equal number of planters in that county who were in possession of silverware representing the same varieties. Thus the Hunt estate included a silver currel, one sack and one dram-cup; [102] the Croshaw personalty, a silver sack-cup, a silver tankard of the largest size, valued at four pounds sterling, perhaps equal in purchasing power to an hundred dollars in our modern currency, and twenty-four silver spoons. [103] Mrs. Elizabeth Digges bequeathed two hundred and sixty-one ounces of silver plate. ”

“ There is a widespread and growing interest in all old silver, especially in such pieces as can be traced back to colonial origin. Salem, whose commercial prosperity was well established by the middle of the seventeenth century, has some wonderfully good pieces of colonial silver, many of which are family heirlooms.
The early American silverware, like our early furniture and architecture, is thoroughly characteristic of the tastes and mode of life peculiar to that period in America. It is simple in design and substantial in weight, thus reflecting the mental attitude of the people. ”

“ A good way to clean silverware of all coloring by eggs or other substances is to place the silver articles in a kettle of boiling water containing a few pieces of zinc. An electrolytic action is produced by the zinc, water and silver which decomposes the sulphides on the silver and leaves it well cleaned. ”

“ In the estate of Richard Stock, there were thirteen silver spoons. two sugar-dishes, a porringer, a tankard, two dram cups, two punch and one candle, and a pair of snuffers. [105] Henry Spratt of Lower Norfolk possessed, in the form of silverware, three plates, one tankard, one salt-cellar, a beaker, three candle, three dram, and seven sack cups, two porringers, and fourteen spoons. Thomas Sibsey of the same county was the owner in silver of two beer-bowls, two wine-cups, a tankard, a beaker, twenty-four spoons, and four salt-cellars. The silver pieces belonging to Mrs. ”

“ Families of consequence had usually a few pieces of silver besides their spoons and the silver salt. Some kind of a drinking-cup was the usual form. Persons of moderate means often owned a silver cup. I have seen in early inventories and lists the [91] names of a large variety of silver vessels: tankards, beer-bowls, beakers, flagons, wine cups, wine bowls, wine cans, tasters, caudle-cups, posset-cups, dram-cups, punch-bowls, tumblers, mugs, dram bottles, two-eared cups, and flasks. Virginians and Marylanders in the seventeenth century had much more silver than New Englanders. ”

“ Although nothing in silver has emulated the modern long, thin-necked, glass claret jugs with silver mounts, yet there has always been a distinction between ale, the popular drink of the people, and wine of foreign origin more pleasing to the palate of the connoisseur. ”

“ A ware appearing on the table in the service of the meals less commonly than pewter or alchemy, but still not infrequently, was silver; plates and dishes were rarely found of thus metal in the Colony, but it entered very often into the composition of the cups, tumblers, tankards, porringers, and spoons. The author of Leah and Rachel, writing about the middle of the century, remarked upon the fact that there was a good store of silver in many of the planters’ homes. ”

“ A point to be remembered in the placing of silver is that the various pieces should always be placed on the table in the order in which they are to be used. Here the first spoon is for the cocktail, which is already on the table, while the second spoon is for the soup, the next course. The knife, which is the third piece of silver, with the two forks on the opposite side will be required for the dinner course, while the third fork is a fork for the salad course. ”

“ The silver plate of a country undoubtedly reflects the manners and customs of its users. The growth of luxury undoubtedly has had its influence upon the manufacture of a great number of silver articles employed in everyday use. But although the field be larger, the class of articles, to say nothing of the average artistic quality, differs in the same measure as the habits of the users. The antiquary of the twenty-first century who turns to the late nineteenth century will find marmalade-pots and pickle-forks in lieu of posset-pots and punch-ladles. ”

“ In like manner with gold, the silver is introduced both dead and burnished, and forms a pleasing and marvellously rich combination with gold and colour. It is introduced on tea services in bands upon wreaths of flowers, and other decorations are painted with marked effect. One of the finest and most chastely beautiful of the ceramic productions of this or any other age or country is an open-work plate in which solid silver forms the ground for the centre. ”

“ I have had silver-leaf, and it seemed as thin as gold-leaf.
Tut. It is nearly so. That is used for silvering, as gold-leaf is for gilding. It is common, too, to cover metals with a thin coating of silver which is called plating.
Har. The child’s saucepan is silvered over on the inside. What is that for?
Tut. To prevent the victuals from getting any taint from the metal of the saucepan; for silver is not capable of being corroded or dissolved by any of the liquids used for food, as iron and copper are. ”

“ When they conceive that all the silver has incorporated with the mercury, the mixed mass, or cuerpo, is carried to a basin or pond, into which a small stream of water is introduced to wash it, much in the same way as I shall afterwards describe the manner in which they wash gold, only that as the silver-ore is reduced to a fine mud without stones, it is stirred by an Indian with his feet, to dissolve it thoroughly, and loosen the silver. ”

“ Plated articles require even more care than silver ones; they should be cleaned with soft brushes, not too often, and never with any thing but plate powder, not even whiting by itself; do not wet them more than can be helped or they will tarnish; nor brush them more than is necessary, or the silver will come off; the best thing for them is spirit of wine or oil, and take care that no plated articles remain long dirty or damp, for if they do they will rust, in case they are plated on steel, and canker if plated on copper. ”

“ The patinæ such was the name of these magnificent pieces of plate, served for ragoûts and fish; the catinus, an immense vase of earthenware among the poor [XXII_75] and of silver with the rich, is more especially reserved for liquid dishes, with much gravy, and what we call pottage. [XXII_76]
Those silver cups and saucers, of the same shape and size as those we employ for tea, have a destination very strange to our ideas. They are used to drink hot water. They are worked in relief, with a taste and delicacy which we cannot too much admire. ”

“ When a sufficient number of these pieces of rich lead have been procured, so that by their respective quality, as determined by assaying, they contain in whole from 1000 to 2000 ounces of silver, they are re-melted to extract their silver, in the same furnace, but in a cupel which differs from the former in having at its bottom a depression capable of receiving at the end of the process the cake of silver. ”

“ Whichever of these methods you adopt, as soon as the silver is united to the iron, you must then at once proceed to polish it, which is done by taking a piece of coarse cloth, dipping it in whiting, previously dampened with alcohol, and rubbing it over the surface until it is well polished. If at any time, as sometimes will happen, the plate of silver becomes stained so that you cannot polish it, wet it with the fluid, put another plate of silver foil over it, and proceed to fasten it to the iron as you did with the first plate,then polish it with the whiting, &c. ”

“ There are spoons and spoons. From the early elaborations in Apostle, or Maidenhead, or lion-sejant forms to the later styles of rat-tail teaspoon or the fanciful caddy-spoon there is choice enough to suit the idiosyncrasies of most collectors. Indeed, it may be said that the collecting of spoons is a thing apart. Silversmiths themselves became specialists when they made spoons; the craftsmen were on a plane by themselves, and so it comes to pass that the collector, following in their wake a couple of centuries afterwards or more, has to give special study to this branch of silver plate. ”

“ The most common subjects of manufacture by the silversmith are cups, goblets, chalices, tankards, spoons, knives, forks, waiters, bread-trays, tea-pots, coffee-pots, cream-pots, sugar-bowls, sugar-tongs, and pencil-cases. Many of these articles he sometimes makes of gold; this is especially the case in Europe, and some parts of Asia. In the United States, the people are commonly satisfied with the less expensive metal. ”

“ Pure silver is often found in or near iron ores and the dark brown zinc blende. The Colorado silver lodes are porous at the surface and colored more or less red or green. Any rock suspected of containing silver should be powdered and dissolved in nitric acid.{90} Pour off the liquid and add to it a solution of salt. If a white powder falls to the bottom which upon exposure turns black, there is silver in it. Silver mines increase in value as in depth, whereas gold diminishes as we descend. ”

“ Of course the wealthy can send pitchers, vases, vegetable dishes, soup tureens, and waiters. All the beautiful things which are now made by our silversmiths are tempting to the purse. There are also handsome silver necklaces, holding old and rare coins, and curious watches of silver, resembling fruits, nuts, and animals. The farther back we go in the history of silver-ware, the better models we are sure to obtain.
As for the entertainment, it includes the inevitable cake, of course, and the bride puts the knife into it as she did twenty-five years ago. ”

“ The ornaments upon snuff-boxes, fans, and various kinds of trinkets, are merely thin plates of silver, gilded in this manner.
The edges of tea-cups, and other similar articles, may be gilded, though not in a very durable manner, by applying a thin coat of amber varnish (224) , and then placing leaf-gold upon it. When the varnish is dry, the gold is to be burnished.
Gold, in a state of solution, is sometimes used for staining marble, ivory, ornamental feathers, and other articles, a purple-red colour, which cannot be effaced. ”

“ The simple and easy process by which silver and gold are decomposed, and then deposited upon metallic surfaces, is only one of many ways in which the galvanic battery ministers to our convenience and pleasure. If the reader will step into a manufactory of plated ware, he will see, in the plating-room, a trough containing a liquid resembling tea as it comes from the teapot. Avoiding scientific terms, we may say that this liquid is a solution of silver, and contains about four ounces of silver to a gallon of water. ”

“ On the other hand, if you pour in what is cold, the material changes its quality, injuring the mixture, and the rich potion is hurtful. Away, then, with Thericleian cups and Antigonides, and Canthari, and goblets, and Lepastæ, [90] and the endless shapes of drinking vessels, and wine-coolers, and wine-pourers also. For, on the whole, gold and silver, both publicly and privately, are an invidious possession when they exceed what is necessary, seldom to be acquired, difficult to keep, and not adapted for use. ”

“ SILVER CLEANING. Silver may be cleaned easily and thoroughly by placing it in an aluminum pan filled with a hot solution of baking soda, salt and sugar, or in an enamel or granite pan, using a similar solution and a small piece of aluminum such as a measuring spoon or pot cover. Use about a tablespoon of each, baking soda, salt and sugar, for every quart of hot water. 37 Select a large container for convenience. Place the silver in such a way that it is completely immersed and that each piece comes in contact with the aluminum or a piece of silver touching the aluminum. ”

“ She was pale and dark, with a little head like a snake's, thin sarcastic lips, and eyes full of smouldering devil. Two silver trays stood in front of her, covered with fragile porcelain cups and thin gilded cut-glass, with a silver-topped box full of fragrant mint, another quaint box containing fine green tea, an enormous cut-glass sugar-basin heaped with small rocks of white sugar, two silver embossed and steaming teapots, some scent-sprinklers and incense-burners of silver. At her elbow, on the floor, was the largest silver urn I ever saw, capable of supplying half a dozen school feasts ”

“ The solution, poured into the glass jars, is well diluted with water, and the silver is then precipitated by placing a sheet of copper in the solution. The precipitate is then freshened with hot water, which may also be done by washing upon the filter; the granulated silver (sulphate of silver) is pressed out in linen, dried and smelted. The freshened gold, after drying, is first smelted with bisulphate of soda, in order to convert the last traces of silver into sulphate, and then smelted with borax and a little saltpeter. ”

“ Native silver being found mingled with various ores of silver, it was probably not long after the metal became known and valued that men conceived the idea of smelting these ores and thus obtaining a larger supply of the metal than was yielded in the native form. In the Bible frequent mention is made of silver, from the very beginning. Silver was more highly prized than gold by all the primitive peoples of the earth. ”

“ The best medium for sticking gold and silver leaf to wood, is the following, called mixtion by the French artists:—1 pound of amber is to be fused, with 4 ounces of mastic in tears, and 1 ounce of Jewish pitch, and the whole dissolved in 1 pound of linseed oil rendered drying by litharge.
Painters in distemper sometimes increase the effect of their work, by patches of gold leaf, which they place in favourable positions; they employ the above mordant. The manufacturers of paper hangings of the finer kinds attach gold and silver leaf to them by the same varnish. ”