ART TREASURES

Hokitika Guardian, 11 June 1929, Page 7

ART TREASURES

OLD ENGLISH GOLD AND SILVER WORK. INVISIBLE RAY ON GUARD. LONDON, May 2. At Seaford House, Belgrave Square the residence of Lord and Lady Howard de AValden, the magnificent collec lions qf old English gold and silverware brought together for the Queen Charlotte Loan Exhibition, are guarded night and day by an invisible ray. This keeps so close a watch that even a finger pointed too close to one of the •■littering treasures and thereby crossing the path of the ray, sets an alarm hell ringing. The exhibition, to which almost all the great houses in Britain and Ireland have contributed, has been organsec! to obtain funds for the removel and rebuilding of Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital of which the Duchess of York is a patron. It covers the period of 1400 and 1739 the year of the foundation of tlie hospital, and there is in addition a small section of modern English silversmith’s work to which the Queen, the Duchess of York, and Princess Mary have contributed. The exhibits lent by the Queen comprise a silver cup and cover, a shagreen and silver caset and a dish, all the work of Omar Ramsden. The Duchess of York has contributed Princess Elizaheth’s porringer, and Princess Mary a jewelled casket made by the Birming'•nm School of Art. In the same section is the Wakefield Gold Trophy “Tlie Spirit of Speed,” presented by Sir Charles AVakefield to Major Sir Henry Seagrave in recognition of his feat in beating the motor speed record with the Golden Arrow in March.

Tlie completeness of the collection of old Englidji sliver and goldsmiths work is shown by the fact that of the entire, number—about fifty— of solid gold English pieces made prior to 1739 in existence ,eleven are to he seen at Seaford House. There are many examples of the work of David Guillaume, the seventeenth century master, and one magnificent case contains eighteen splendid specimens .of Paul Lamerfe. Of special interest is the section devoted to the Scottish and Irish silversmiths. There are many fine pieces dating back to the early eighteenth century, which hear the Dublin and Edinburgh marks. Tlie collection comprises in all 637 pieces, each of which lias a history, and is a rarity.