Smith Art Gallery & Museum | Details | William and Mary commemorative tankard

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Actions Displays	William and Mary commemorative tankard Remove from selection Add to selection Reproduction Download mediaDownload as zip file Object number21754.639 TitleWilliam and Mary commemorative tankard DescriptionThis elaborately engraved, pewter tankard was made in London in around 1689 by RS. His stamp appears inside the base of the vessel and we think it refers to a pewterer called Robert Seare or Sayers. It was designed to commemorate the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when William & Mary were chosen as monarchs over the catholic King James VII, and their subsequent coronation in 1689. Tankards like this one were owned and used by the fashionable elite during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a beautiful object, with an intricate design made using a technique known as wrigglework. Each mark and line was made using a narrow chisel-like blade, which the maker rocked slightly from side to side. This created a zig-zag groove – known today as wrigglework. A closer look reveals how this tankard celebrates the new king and queen. On the front, portraits of William & Mary sit under the royal crown and above their royal cypher. They are surrounded by swirling flowers and elegant birds. There are even some delicate tulips, a flower so fashionable in the 17th century that the term tulipmania was coined! A tiny seahorse adorns the lower end of the handle – possibly the only one of its kind. Object nameTankard MaterialPewter Dimensions Height: 155 mm

Reproduction

Download mediaDownload as zip file

Object number21754.639

TitleWilliam and Mary commemorative tankard

DescriptionThis elaborately engraved, pewter tankard was made in London in around 1689 by RS. His stamp appears inside the base of the vessel and we think it refers to a pewterer called Robert Seare or Sayers. It was designed to commemorate the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when William & Mary were chosen as monarchs over the catholic King James VII, and their subsequent coronation in 1689. Tankards like this one were owned and used by the fashionable elite during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is a beautiful object, with an intricate design made using a technique known as wrigglework. Each mark and line was made using a narrow chisel-like blade, which the maker rocked slightly from side to side. This created a zig-zag groove – known today as wrigglework. A closer look reveals how this tankard celebrates the new king and queen. On the front, portraits of William & Mary sit under the royal crown and above their royal cypher. They are surrounded by swirling flowers and elegant birds. There are even some delicate tulips, a flower so fashionable in the 17th century that the term tulipmania was coined! A tiny seahorse adorns the lower end of the handle – possibly the only one of its kind.

Object nameTankard

MaterialPewter

Dimensions

Height: 155 mm