Country House Silver from Dunham Massey

Description

Dunham Massey, near Altrincham in Cheshire, is home to one of the most outstanding collections of silver in Britain. Largely collected by the 2nd Earl of Warrington, the silver collection is remarkable in terms of scale and quality of craftsmanship and decoration. This handsome volume constitutes a comprehensive catalogue of this extraordinary collection which contains over one thousand individual objects, many of which date from the period regarded as the Great Age of Country House Silver, 1680-1750. It is probably the largest collection of plate to have survived in the house for which it was originally made, with over weighing 26,000 ounces in total. Ranging from magnificent tureens to exquisite salt cellars, the range and quality of pieces in this magnificent collection are examined in detail for the first time in this lavishly illustrated catalogue. Specially commissioned photography and detailed catalogue entries provide information about the specification, manufacture, provenance and significance of the various pieces. Illustrated essays provide valuable background on the life of Lord Warrington at Dunham Massey, and a series of appendices include a transcript of the celebrated 1750 inventory, as well as information about other relevant collections of plate and the Huguenot goldsmiths who produced these superb works.

James Lomax has written extensively on the fine and decorative arts and is a former Chairman of the Silver Society and honorary curator of the Chippendale Society. James Rothwell is the National Trust curator responsible for Dunham Massey. He has been responsible for many of the recent additions to the collection as well as the recent redisplay in 2003.