Twelve spoons
first half 18th century
Medium
Silver gilt
Dimensions
Length (each): 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George D. Widener and Mrs. Eleanor Widener Dixon, 1958
Accession Number
58.7.43–.54
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century British table, Paul de Lamerie's *Twelve Spoons* stand as a testament to masterful silversmithing. Crafted in London during the first half of 1700s, this set of silver gilt spoons—each elegantly measuring 6 3/4 inches (17.1 cm) long—exudes the refined luxury of the Georgian era. De Lamerie, a Huguenot immigrant and one of England's most celebrated silversmiths, registered his mark in 1712 and became synonymous with high-end commissions for the aristocracy. Silver gilt, created by applying a thin layer of gold over silver through electroplating or fire-gild...
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...