Queen Anne Britannia Silver Porringer, London 1703
A rare Queen Anne period Britannia standard silver porringer, the lower body decorated with wrythen lobes bordered by a punch-work lappet design, and higher on the body with an encircling rope twist band in high relief similarly bordered; both band and lobing intersected by an escutcheon with vacant cartouche, two S-scroll handles with bead capping fixed to either side. London 1703 by John Read and Daniel Sleamaker. Weight 255gms, height 3.94 in.
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- Wrythen - A spirally twisted ornamentation most commonly found on antique glass, silver, ceramics and furniture.
- Cartouche - An ornamental panel in the form of of a shield, oval or rectangular scroll with curling edges. It may be carved into the back of a chair or the top of a sideboard, or present on a piece of silver or jewellery, and contain the initials of the original owner, heraldic symbols, or some other inscription, such as the details of a presentation.
In ceramics the term defines the central area of a vase or similar with a decorative border in one of the shapes above, into which a decorative scene or figures have been painted. - Britannia Standard - A higher grade of silver than sterling silver. Britannia standard silver contains at least 958 parts per thousand of pure silver, while sterling silver contains at least 925 parts per thousand of pure silver.
The Britannia standard was obligatory in Britain between 1697 and 1720 and after that was optional, so there are very few silver items that come onto the market that are Britannia standard.
Not to be confused with silver plated Britannia metal items, often marked as "EPBM", a pewter type alloy, that when unplated can be temporarily polished to a silver-like lustre.
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