A Charles II provincial silver tankard, maker's mark TS, probably Norwich, circa 1678

Sotheby's, London, 20 October 1988, lot 105

An almost identical tankard with these marks was sold at Phillips, London, 27 February 1981, lot 123.

The marks seen on the present lot have been the subject of discussion for the best part of half a century. They feature in Ian Pickford's 1989 revised edition of Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks under Waveney Valley, but more recent research has put the likely point of origin at Norwich.¹ The so-called 'Leopard's head and fleur-de-lis' group consists of some 23 pieces ranging from spoons to flagons, all made to a high standard. Such a large number indicates a workshop of some size, most likely with one or more journeymen and a similar number of apprentices, one that could only be sustained in a city. Furthermore, the presence of pieces with these marks in nearby churches surrounding Norwich supports the case. The absence of any Norwich silversmith in the post-Restoration period with initials matching the TS/ST mark is problematic. The mark strongly resembles that of the earlier Norwich silversmith Timothy Skottowe (1590-1645), and it is tempting to suggest his business was passed on to a son or apprentice, but for the fact that he died without issue and his last apprentice was made free in 1627. It may still be the case that his workshop was taken over by another party which carried on using a mark that would have been familiar and perhaps trusted in Norwich.

Notes

1. Hartop, C. (editor); East Anglian Silver 1550-1750, Cambridge 2004; pp.71-84