MINIATURE SILVER TOYS
The oldest miniature silver objects originate from the 15th and 16th Century. They were not intended as individual works however, but as parts of a larger scale object quite often of military derivation. Common examples were the great silver nefs of Nuremburg. These model battle ships were often applied or fastened with miniature soldiers and naval officers, cannons and in some cases piles of ammunition. It was not until the end of the 17th Century however, that the production of these miniature models became a specialised profession.
Mininature silver toys were made in several European countries, but it was in England and The Netherlands where they were most popular. The Dutch specialists of the 17th Century, coming primarily from Friesland and Amsterdam, made miniature toys not for children to play with, as their name might suggest but, for adult women from the merchant and regent classes. They were placed in doll houses and were faithful replicas of common household objects. By the end of the 17th Century they were removed from doll houses and placed in showcases and the range of subjects had expanded to include single figurines and occasionally whole groups of children playing popular games of the day. They were finally seen as individual works, and proved the enormous talents of the silversmiths who made them.
Many foreign silversmiths came to Amsterdam in the second half of the 17th Century just to specialise in the production of miniature objects. German silversmiths such as Boele Rijnhart (or Rinhout), Philip Distelaer, Johannes Grill and Wessel Jansen were to become highly celebrated craftsmen.
The production of miniature silver toys was undoubtedly at it's height between 1725 and 1775. During this time Dutch silversmiths such as the families Van Geffen, Van Strant and Van Sommerwil created objects on a grand scale. Perhaps the most renowned of these was Arnoldus van Geffen, who became a master silversmith in Amsterdam in 1728. His career lasted for over 40 years, during which time he devoted his skills soley to the manufacture of objects of this nature. He was succeeded, after his death in 1769, by his cousin Johannes A. van Geffen. Miniature toys of both Arnoldus and Johannes van Geffen, being some of the finest examples existing today, can be found amongst the collection of toys preserved in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Victoria and Albert museum in London, and in many museums and private collections around the world.
A MINIATURE CHAMBER CANDLESTICK
Details
A MINIATURE CHAMBER CANDLESTICK
Amsterdam, maker's mark of Wessel Jansen (Citroen 903), circa 1680
The shaped circular dripping pan chased with naturalistic flowers and foliage and with openworked stylised scroll handle
Amsterdam, maker's mark of Wessel Jansen (Citroen 903), circa 1680
The shaped circular dripping pan chased with naturalistic flowers and foliage and with openworked stylised scroll handle