We have a vast collection of images here which have been shared over the years ...
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Comments
Beautiful Lynn.
I love the attention each item got from the maker. I also think it is made in Yemen, because of the lovely round file grain shapes they give the whole piece more of a lacey look. The unusual square shapes at the top beautiful composition in the over all picture. Congratulations. A toppy really. gr. Ingrid.
This is a breathtaking piece, Lynn. And who wonderful to have such a lovely story with it. Being bought in the 1960s it must have quite a bit of age, to...Congratulations!
A good example, Lynn, and it is pleasing to hear (and see) that you so lovingly and carefully nurtured the piece into a better appearance and enduring health. The story about the woman whom you bought it from is most touching, and there can be no doubt that with you it will be in good hands. I agree thoroughly with the view that the piece was made in Yemen, but that is by the way.
The great thing, I feel, is that it comes across as well-maintained and looked-after, without striking one as over-cleaned. Silver does need maintenance as without it the metal definitely deteriorates. On the other hand, I feel that both the V&A and the British Museum, when we visited them in 2014, showed many silver objects which had come to look brand new and totally characterless because both natural ageing (e.g. dirt) and indeed e.g. black paste which would originally often have been applied to "set off" the highlights had been removed from all crevices. The cleaners should have concentrated on the highlights only, and the approach adopted had, we felt, harmed the pieces considerably.
Dear Ingrid, Betty, Joost and Peter, thank you so much for your kind comments. One of the things I love about this piece is the silky smooth finish on every component. Even the figure-eights are like fine silk. I don't know if this is age or intense care taken by the silversmith to polish the smallest parts. Joost and Peter I am so glad you like the results of the cleaning. I washed it, polished each component by hand (this was the part where I went insane) and washed it again. To dry the silver perfectly I have started to use an oven on its lowest setting (170F) and I have not had any verdigris since then. The results I feel, keep the patina intact while rehabilitating the metal. I love the way the pieces in both of your collections are cleaned!
Lynn, I think light washing is OK. The museum people I referred to had somehow managed to lift everything from both the crevices and the highlights, with the result that all "life" had disappeared. For the most part, I polish all of our collectible silver (for want of a better phrase) only with a silver cloth, which means a lot of work, but very gratifying results. If I need to go further, then like you I try to wash things off, but without chemicals. For domestic silver - we eat from a cheap Mexican set sold by an idiot who did not realise it is made of sterling silver - we mostly use hot baths of water, aluminium, and baking soda, which prove most effective, though of course you still need to wash the articles as well, after this treatment. With ANY washing it is crucial, we agree, to ensure that articles get THOROUGHLY dried afterwards to avoid verdigris. An oven should indeed be great! I use a hair dryer as well as cloths.