Description

A very early English twin handled silver cup with cast serpent form side handles. This little porringer (or caudle cup) combines some of the austere decoration associated with the Commonwealth period with the addition of hand engraved flowers marking the transition into the joyful Restoration period of Charles II. Superb colour. An attractive feature is the decorative base, very reminiscent of sweetmeat dishes of this period.

Contains 250ml.
Weight 113 grams, 3.6 troy ounces. Diameter 7.7 cm. Height 7cm (to top of handle).
London 1662.
Maker Edward Treen, specialist cup, porringer and sweetmeat dish maker.
Sterling silver.

A very historic piece.

Marks. Stamped below the rim with a full set of English silver hallmarks. The maker’s mark “ET, crescent below, in plain shield” is attributed to Edward Treen in Dr Mitchell’s “Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London” page 289.

Literature. Silver Porringers are two handled bowls and some have a cover. They can also be known as caudle cups although the origin of the porringer was for porridge and the caudle cup was for a type of broth. From the eighteenth century onwards, porringers and cups and covers were used mainly as centrepieces or ornaments. In recent times they have seen a resurgence in popularity for drinking and on the dining table. They make a very attractive baby gift.

The porringer is in very good condition with some wear consistent with age. Inside, where the handles meet the body, there are signs of old repairs. The cup has been tested for water retention and does not leak. Originally, there may have been a lid which has been separated over the years.

Maker: Edward Treen

Edward Treen, London silversmith, apprenticed to Thomas Burton 1619, free 1626. Edward bound 3 apprentices prior to the outbreak of the Civil Wars in 1642 after which his movements became unclear. In 1653 he bound the first of six more apprentices, the others in 1655, 1656, 1663, 1666 and 1669. In 1665 he was elected as Almsman and seems to have carried out these duties in conjunction with his activities as silversmith. Even so there seem to be no surviving examples of his work after 1663.

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