DEMONSTRATING WEALTH | SILVER FOR HOUSEHOLD LUXURIES with Matthew Lafite

Georgian interests in silver items weren’t restricted just to aiding eating and drinking. Other items were made to demonstrate wealth.

In this lecture Matthew Lafite will introduce us to some of the key pieces from The Brookes Bequest such as presentation wares like trophies and cups, ecclesiastical wares such as chalices, child's rattle and whistle, posy holder, and objet d’art items of boxes and vinaigrettes.

We will also return to a brief introduction of the early flatware (spoons), including seal-top spoons, slip-top spoons, puritan spoons, and mote spoons

MATTHEW LAFITE is a specialist in English, Irish and Scottish silver and a member of the London Association of Art & Antique Dealers and the Australian Antique Dealers Association. Matthew is approved to value English, Irish and Scottish silver dating from 1300 onward, for the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

This lecture is presented on-site at The Johnston Collection. Please see your ticket for details.

This lecture is supported by The Colin Holden Charitable Trust.

This lecture coincides with the exhibition SPLENDID and its accompanying publication which are supported by a specified fund established from the Estate of Mr. Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes.

image captions:
William Hogarth (English, 1697–1764)
Lord Grey and Lady Mary West as Children, circa 1740
oil on canvas | 42 1/8 x 35 5/8 inches
collection of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University at St. Louis, (WU 2147), purchase, Parsons Fund, 1936

silversmith: Susannah Barker
child's rattle and whistle, London, hallmarked 1792
sterling silver | 140 x 50 x 30 mm | mark of Susannah Barker
The Johnston Collection (A1613), bequest of Mr. Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes, Melbourne, 2021, in memory of his parents Sir Wilfred Deakin Brookes, CBE, DSO, AE and Mrs. Betty (née Heal) Brookes

silversmith: Joseph Craddock
retailer: Joseph Widdowson
presentation cup and cover, London, hallmarked 1829
sterling silver | overall: 290 x 210 x 170 mm | mark of Joseph CraddockThe Johnston Collection (A1569), bequest of Mr. Clive Hele (Roger) Brookes, Melbourne, 2021, in memory of his parents Sir Wilfred Deakin Brookes, CBE, DSO, AE and Mrs. Betty (née Heal) Brookes