Silver has an allure all its own. Its cool luster draws the eye. The metal can be worked into an infinite variety of forms, used for both practical and decorative purposes. It”™s durable, beautiful and affordable.
That”™s especially true right now, when a great deal of desirable antique and vintage silver is coming to market. Boomers are downsizing, their kids are “right-sizing,” and their offspring aren”™t having multicourse meals that call for seven-piece place settings of matching sterling tableware.
But there”™s much more to silver than seldom-used formal dinnerware. Therese Ferrara, Bonhams Skinner”™s silver and decorative arts specialist, notes that there”™s a lively market for statement pieces such as bowls, vases and candlesticks. These stand-alone examples of the silversmith”™s art can become the focal point of a tablescape or an architectural feature such as a mantel or a niche.
A signature silver piece may be big and bold. Ferrara points out that it can also be small in scale and intriguing in workmanship and materials. Bonhams Skinner”™s April 19 Collector”™s Choice Wedgwood & Silver auction offers a perfect example a small silver and enamel basket by Cartier. The name Cartier is most often associated with splendid jewelry at eye-popping prices. But the luxury brand also features little treasures like this that are very affordable.
In silver, as in every other area of antiques and collectibles, the best of the best will always hold its value. Quality pieces in excellent condition from legendary names like Tiffany & Co., Georg Jensen, Buccellati, Fabergé and Gorham are style icons with an appreciative worldwide audience.
For buyers willing to look beyond the famous and familiar, gleaming treasures wait to be discovered. Ferrara notes that Chinese export silver has been “hot” for at least the last decade, with a continually strong market. In the 18th and 19th centuries, objects of silver made for Western buyers, and to specifically Western taste, joined the brisk trade in tea, silk and porcelain for fashionable American and European homes.
Chinese silversmiths quickly became expert in copying European styles from models of unfamiliar objects such as mugs, candlesticks, tableware and tea and coffee sets. Soon the Chinese artisans introduced traditional decorative motifs such as bamboo, dragons and typically Chinese landscapes. The meeting of East and West resulted in distinctive silver objects that combine the best of both cultures.
Silver is just one category of antiques and collectibles that is changing with the times, sometimes dramatically. It”™s always a good time to start or complete a collection of furniture and decorative objects such as ceramics, or to acquire that signature piece that brims with visual interest and perfectly expresses your unique personality.
Buying and selling at auction offers significant advantages. A major house like Bonhams Skinner https://www.bonhams.com/stories/34976/ has worldwide reach. Buyers gain access to the rare and unusual and have broad choice. For sellers, their treasures get the greatest possible exposure in the marketplace. And the expertise of auction-house specialists adds an essential element of reliability about value, authenticity and provenance for buyers and sellers alike.
For more, contact Katie at katie.whittle@bonhamsskinner.com or 212-787-1114.
