Renaissance Silver from the Schroder Collection

Exhibition at The Wallace Collection of silver collected by two generations of the Schroder family between 1870 and 1930.

Mainly German renaissance in origin the first part of the exhibition focused on English and Continental domestic silver including beautiful German stacking beakers which fitted perfectly one inside the other and a drinking cut in the form of a bear which looked rather like a demented hamster.

The second room focused on silver for display and talked about the advent of kunstkammer or schatzkanner, art or treasure chambers, in houses to display precious objects. These were said to be the forerunner of museums. The finest piece was a ewer in the shape of a ship complete with tiny enamel figures of solders, rowers and event a small party men eating dinner. Those men wore the Maltese cross as it was made for the order of St John in Germany.

The exhibition was accompanies by a small display in the conservation galleries showing a mock up of a silver workshop explaining how the works were made.

All in all a nice small exhibition following the current trend of focusing on collectors. I was slightly disappointed as I had expected more Italian work from the title.

Review
Daily Telegraph

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