Rare York silver to shine at Harewood

The Antiques & Fine Art Fair at Harewood returns to its spectacular surroundings of Harewood House in Yorkshire next month, with 30 specialists from across the UK taking part in the event.

George III silver argyleOne of the fair’s major highlights will be Mary Cooke Antiques, specialist silver dealers from central London, who are bringing some exceptional pieces of York silver.

York silver is very rare to come across as the historic city a small centre of silver and the assay office closed in 1856, resulting in very little surviving from that period and earlier. However, one piece on display from Mary Cooke Antiques is a George III Argyle, made in York in 1790 by Hampston & Prince, priced at £8,950. Argyles are generally accepted to have been containers for gravy or sauce as the design incorporates some form of heat preserving element.

The credit for inventing their Argyles goes to the 3rd Duke of Argyll as he and his Duchess had become tired of their sauces arriving cold at the dining table at Inverary Castle. Other interesting pieces with a local provenance are a Spode porcelain spill vase, hand-painted with a view of York Minster, c 1820 (£340) from Carolyn Stoddart-Scott and a very early topographical map of the West Riding of Yorkshire by Jan Jansson from 1646 (£595).

The fair takes places from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 May 2017 – find out how you could get FREE tickets here.

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