Charger
1723–24
Medium
Silver gilt
Dimensions
Diameter: 23 3/4 in. (60.3 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
Accession Number
49.7.90
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the magnificent *Charger* by Paul de Lamerie, crafted in London between 1723 and 1724. This grand silver-gilt dish, measuring an impressive 23¾ inches in diameter, exemplifies the opulence of early 18th-century British metalwork. A "charger" was a large ceremonial platter, often used to display lavish foods or as a table centerpiece during grand banquets, symbolizing wealth and status among the elite. Paul de Lamerie, a master silversmith of Huguenot descent, was one of England's most celebrated craftsmen during the Georgian era. His work bridged Baroque exuberance and emerging Rococo ...
About the Artist
Paul de Lamerie · 1688–1751
Paul de Lamerie was born on April 9, 1688, in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Dutch Republic, the son of Paul Souchay de la Merie, a French Huguenot nobleman who had fled France following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and subsequently served as an officer under William III of Orange. The family settled in London by 1691, and young Paul grew up in a community of skilled Huguenot craftsmen w...