FEATURE
IF TYGS COULD TALK I
recently had the great pleasure of conducting an up-todate insurance valuation for the Shropshire Law Society’s silver trophy and ceremonial gold jewel. There is always something thrilling about conducting valuations on pieces such as these; one wonders Christina Trevanion what decisions they have witnessed, who they have been in the presence of and what stories they would tell – if only they could! The Law Society’s magnificent silver trophy is modelled in the form of a ‘tyg’, the term used in the antiques industry to describe a cup with three or more handles (three handled examples are relatively common, but some can have as many as nine!) Tygs were originally designed in pottery from the 15th century and were intended as communal drinking vessels for the use of two or more drinkers during ceremonies. Whilst I would love to suggest that the Shropshire Law Society’s tyg was used in a similar fashion, with a weight of 3.3kg even before we add any fluid contents into the equation, I would suggest that this piece was purely for presentation purposes. The tyg itself was crafted by a fine company of silversmiths by the name of C S Harris & Sons Ltd, and assayed (hallmarked) in London in 1910 during the reign of Kind Edward VII. The silversmithing business was established in 1817 by John Mark Harris, who specialized in spoon making. Harris’s business gained an excellent reputation throughout the 19th century under the direction of his succession of sons, and by 1900 C S Harris Ltd sent more silver to the Assay Office than any other maker. The prolific nature and scale of the business alludes to both the effectiveness of the financial management of the company, and the ability and foresight of its designers and craftsmen, who created high quality and exceptionally popular silverware. The base of the tyg bares an incised description for ‘Robinson, Ludlow’ suggesting that while the piece was manufactured by Harris, it was probably retailed by 16 S H ROP SH IR E L AW YER
Robinson, a well respected jewellery and silver retailer in Shropshire, with shops in Ludlow and Shrewsbury. The inscription to the side ‘Shropshire Law Society, Presented by J W Montford, President 1910-1911’ would indicate that the tyg was gifted to the society by its then president J W Montford to commemorate his term as president in the early 20th century. The tyg really is a magnificent piece, and highly unusual in its scale – it’s surprising (and a huge pleasure) to find any piece of silver of this size. At the other end of the spectrum, the gold jewel also belonging to the society is a masterpiece in miniature! Crafted in 15ct yellow gold, the jewel was also presented by a president of the society, a Philip H Minshall who was president between 1902 and 1904. The jewel was assayed in Birmingham in 1903 and was clearly a commission for the firm of William J Holmes, making the piece totally unique. Little is known about this company other than that they were registered at Hockley Hill in Birmingham, an area very close to the buzzing centre of the Internationally renowned jewellery quarter. The jewel bears the arms of Shropshire within a shieldshaped central panel. The arms were granted on the 18th June 1896 and include the distinctive leopards’ heads which are often referred to as the ‘loggerheads’ – presumably originating from the practice of carving a motif on the head of the log used as a battering ram. The arms are intricately enamelled in white and blue enclosing the three gilt leopard heads. A sword and balance scales surmount the enamelled shield, two deeply symbolic emblems held by Lady Justice representing the impartiality of the court’s decisions and the power of justice. A red enamelled ribbon surrounds this stating ‘Shropshire Law Society, founded 1877’. I hope that these two very special pieces give members of the Law Society as much pleasure to be custodians of, as they did the people that commissioned them over 100 years ago. They clearly held the society in very high esteem, as we do now.
