English Silver Before the Civil War: The David Little Collection

• Lively introduction to early English silver
• Many hitherto unpublished items of silver illustrated in color

A remarkable private collection formed over the last thirty years is the focus of this richly illustrated book that introduces the reader to English silver spanning a century and a half from a little before the Tudor age (1485-1603) to the threshold of the Civil War (1642-51). This was a period when England changed out of all recognition. At the beginning it was still essentially a medieval country dominated by an autocratic king and a rich and powerful Church; by the end of the period the Church had lost virtually all of its power and, with the execution of Charles I in 1649, the monarchy itself was abolished. To a degree, this changing world is mirrored in the styles represented by the silver featuring in the collection. Besides setting the silver against its social and historical background the book examines the wide range of techniques used by silversmiths at the time to shape and adorn silver objects.

Contents: Foreword by David Little; 1 English Silver before the Civil War; 2 Conspicuous Consumption: the Ceremonies of Dining; 3 'Plate commonly used in the howse'; 4 Silver and Godliness; 5 The Workshop and the Trade; 6 The Afterlife of Early Silver; Catalogue of items in the Little collection; Bibliography; Index; Picture credits