Cork Silver and Gold: Four Centuries of Craftsmanship

A fusion of skill, dedication and imagination Published to coincide with the Airgeadoir exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, April - June 2005, Cork Silver and Gold is the first comprehensive study of the work of Cork’s silversmiths and goldsmiths. Lavishly produced, it charts the past four hundred years of outstanding output by these craftsmen and craftswomen. Each piece is viewed in the context of the year it was produced thus giving the reader an insight into the history of that particular era. Items described and illustrated include early ecclesiastical pieces from the late 1500s and secular items executed through the prodigious 1600s and 1700s. The decline and fall of empires serves as a backdrop to this study as world affairs often encroached upon the trade. The Napoleonic Wars sounded the death knell for a period until a renaissance in the twentieth century led to the creation of ‘Republican’ silver. The stamps, punches, initials and hallmarks of the craftsmen are themselves intriguing - tax evasion being one reason why Cork manufacturers used the emblem of a ship between two castles. Silversmiths, always mindful of their responsibility to the public for the quality of their wares, took a pride in the integrity of their craft. Cork Silver and Gold sumptuously commemorates this craft.