Overview

A fusion of skill, dedication and imagination Published to coincide with the Airgeadoir exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, April - June 2005, Cork Silver and Gold is the first comprehensive study of the work of Cork's silversmiths and goldsmiths. Lavishly produced, it charts the past four hundred years of outstanding output by these craftsmen and craftswomen. Each piece is viewed in the context of the year it was produced thus giving the reader an insight into the history of that particular era. Items described and illustrated include early ecclesiastical pieces from the late 1500s and secular items executed through the prodigious 1600s and 1700s. The decline and fall of empires serves as a backdrop to this study as world affairs often encroached upon the trade. The Napoleonic Wars sounded the death knell for a period until a renaissance in the twentieth century led to the creation of 'Republican' silver. The stamps, punches, initials and hallmarks of the craftsmen are themselves intriguing - tax evasion being one reason why Cork manufacturers used the emblem of a ship between two castles. Silversmiths, always mindful of their responsibility to the public for the quality of their wares, took a pride in the integrity of their craft. Cork Silver and Gold sumptuously commemorates this craft.

Full Product Details

Author:   John R. Bowen ,  Conor O'Brien
Publisher:   The Collins Press
Imprint:   The Collins Press
Edition:   illustrated edition
Dimensions:   Width: 21.90cm , Height: 1.20cm , Length: 27.70cm
Weight:   0.866kg
ISBN:  

9781903464960

ISBN 10:   190346496
Pages:   220
Publication Date:   April 2005
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgements 2. Foreword by Douglas Bennett 3. Cork Silver- An Introduction 4. A 'Sterling' Relationship: The Cork Goldsmiths and the Company of Goldsmiths of Dublin 5. Airgeadoir - Four Centuries of Cork Silver and Gold 5.1 A Study in Styles 5.2 Ecclesiastical 5.3 Hugenot and Native - The Early Eighteenth Century 5.4 A Treasury of Cork Makers - The Later Eighteenth Century 5.5 Tea or Coffee? 5.6 Civic and Ceremonial 5.7 Flatware - In Its Surprising Variety 5.8 Naval, Maritime, and Mercantile 5.9 Carden Terry and the Williams 5.10 Decline and Fall - The Nineteenth Century 5.11 William Egan and Sons 5.12 Cork 'Republican' Silver 5.13 The Twentieth Century and Beyond 5.14 Kinsale and Youghal 5.15 The Freedom of the Borough 5.16 A Celebration of Cork Silver and Gold 6. A Directory of Cork Goldsmiths 7. Endnotes 8. Glossary of Terms 9. A Select Bibliography Index

Reviews

'A splendidly fully illustrated catalogue ... the photograhy is first-class' Books Ireland 'An indispensable point of reference for collectors of Irish antiques' Antiques Magazine ' Cork Silver and Gold is a superb book - art lovers will enjoy losing themselves in its pages' Evening Echo

Author Information

John Bowen is CEO of the Bowen Group, a substantial construction and property company. An engineer by profession, he has had a lifelong interest in Irish provincial silver, with a special interest in the silver of Cork. Conor O'Brien is retired from the pharmaceutical industry. Over the years he devoted much free time to researching old Irish silver, partly in conjunction with the National Museum, and his findings have been published in specialist journals.

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