Old English silver and its medical interest / Professor Sir Henry Cohen.

  • Henry Cohen, 1st Baron Cohen of Birkenhead
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Old English silver and its medical interest / Professor Sir Henry Cohen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS OLD ENGLISH SILVER AND ITS MEDICAL INTEREST* Professor Sir Henry Cohen The acquisition and study of old silver is one of the few hobbies which satisfy both the aesthetic appetite and intellectual curiosity. None can deny that the beauty and craftsmanship of the domestic and church plate of earlier centuries reveal silver as one of the most suitable media for the artist in metal. What makes silver of importance to the student and the historian are the marks, from which we know of any piecewith virtual certainty (a) what is the quality of the silver ( the “standard” mark); (b) where it was assayed and probably made (the “ hall ” mark); (c) when it was made (the “ date ” mark); (d) who made it (the “ maker’s ” mark)—(Fig. 1). The common standard mark in England is the lion passant, which indicates a silver content of 92.5% (sterling silver), but from 1697-1720 all silver bore the effigy of Britannia and tbe lion erased, indicating 95.5% silver content. This Britannia standard of silver may be and is still used. It is not to be confused with Britannia metal, which is a pewter-like alloy used since the early 19th century and often electroplated. In Edinburgh, the standard mark is the thistle; in Glasgow, the lion rampant; and in Ireland, the harp crowned. It is a criminal offence to forge, imitate or falsify standard marks. The hall-mark varies with place and time. London is shown by a leopard’s head, with or without whiskers or crown; Chester to 1697 and after 1775, by a dagger erect between three sheaves of wheat, but from 1701-1775 by three demi-lions with three wheat sheaves. Birmingham is indicated by an anchor, Sheffield by a crown. Norwich, York, Exeter, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, and many other places have or have had (for many are now obsolete) their distinctive marks. The date is indicated by the letters of the alphabet in different scripts and enclosed in a shield of varying shape. These give a 20 years’ cycle by omitting J, V, W, X, Y, Z. The letters of different halls do not synchronise. Before the 18th century the maker’s mark was usually an emblem (e.g. a swan, a tree); then the initial letter of the maker’s surname was imprinted; later the initials of both names were used, surmounted by a crown if favoured by Royal patronage. * Being the Inaugural Address (abridged) delivered at the opening of the 118th Session of the Liverpool Medical Institution in the Arts Theatre, University of Liverpool, on 14th October, 1954.