Collections and Critiques

Three collections of silverware of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries, providing unusual attraction for those interested in the subject, are now on exhibition in the Fogg Art Museum. An exhibition of 32 pieces representing English silversmith's art of the period has just been opened, while a group of American items of the same era has been on exhibition for a week. The Museum also calls attention to the fact that a permanent exhibit of American ware has been in its possession for a long period, and includes some pieces intimately connected with the history of the University.

The first collection, lent by A. A. Hutchinson, of New York City, is of considerable value from an artistic viewpoint, since it includes work from the hands of the greatest masters of the period. An ink-well by Paul de la Mererie, executed in 1731, is considered the main display in the case. Mererie was forced to leave France after the proclamation of Louis XIV that all silver plates should be melted for the state treasury, and with a considerable number of his fellow-craftsmen, came to England, where he was soon after named Royal Goldsmith. A large "lion" tankard, bearing the arms of the City of London, is another conspicuous piece, while a silver seal-box, containing the wax seal of the first ruling member of the House of Hanover is of distinct historical value. The rest of the collection consists of delicately worked taper-sticks, a "humpty-dumpty" pitcher, a pair of baptismal shells, and other items of artistic interest.

The second case, containing the private collection of Nicholas Sever, from 1716 to 1826 a tutor at Harvard College, at that time considered a position of great honor, has been loaned by his descendents. It is uncommon in that the 30 or more pieces are still intact, with the exception of a silver twoquart tankard, which is the exact replica of the one which is mentioned in his original inventory. Chafingdishes, candlesticks, salvers, porringers, a teapot, and a pair of salt-cellars complete the collection.