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Been a while since I promised Trev I would post this so finally got around to it:

The year 1770 heralded the beginning of the neo-classical period in Ireland, overlapped by the Rococo for a while. Douglas Bennett shows two silver cream jugs of rather unusual shape by Carden Terry in his book Irish Georgian Silver (1972). One is a panelled jug with beaded rim, high looped reeded handle and octagonal beaded foot while the other is of an ogee pattern with beaded rim on a round central moulded foot. Although not Rococo designs, Kurt Ticher shows the same two cream jugs in his book Irish Silver in the Rococo Period (1972). It seems the authors collaborated or more likely, shared a common source, as their descriptions do differ. However, both date the cream jugs to circa 1780. If you have both books, the quality of the photographs is better in Ticher's book.

The cream jug pictured below is another silver cream jug of the same period by Carden Terry, probably a more classical design than the aforementioned jugs and dated circa 1775-80. It has a round central moulded foot and a distinctive high looped reeded handle with acanthus leaf decoration where it meets the body of the jug. The body and foot are plain silver, decorated with beading around the rims. The colour of the silver is exceptionally good and there are no repairs or any issues with it. Underneath the foot, Carden Terry stamped it twice with his CT mark and also his usual STERLING mark, and these are in very good condition. The initials LCD are inscribed on the jug. It weighs 7.75oz (Troy) and stands 18cm high (7.25in.).

Can anyone please point me in the direction of any other Carden Terry cream jugs of this period, i.e. circa 1775-1780? I know a major auction house sold one in New York in 2001, "the cream jug of baluster form on spreading circular foot with scroll handle and beaded rim. 8½in. (21.5cm.) long" - "marked Carden Terry, Cork, circa 1780", but the accompanying photo is no longer available. Any others?

Hi Scorpio,

Many thanks for sharing with us the details of this delightful piece.

A somewhat smaller cream jug by Carden Terry was part of the 'Cork Gold and Silver - Four Centuries of Craftsmanship' Exhibition that was held at the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery at Cork in 2005. Although the catalogue does not contain a photograph, the description reads: CS147 - Cream Jug - Carden Terry - Cork, c.1780 - H: 13.9cm - Marks: Struck once on base with mark CT and STERLING - Pyriform body with beaded rim and scroll handle, on spreading trumpet foot with applied threaded rim.

Trev.

dognose wrote:Hi Scorpio,

Many thanks for sharing with us the details of this delightful piece.

A somewhat smaller cream jug by Carden Terry was part of the 'Cork Gold and Silver - Four Centuries of Craftsmanship' Exhibition that was held at the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery at Cork in 2005. Although the catalogue does not contain a photograph, the description reads: CS147 - Cream Jug - Carden Terry - Cork, c.1780 - H: 13.9cm - Marks: Struck once on base with mark CT and STERLING - Pyriform body with beaded rim and scroll handle, on spreading trumpet foot with applied threaded rim.

Trev.

Many thanks Trev. I totally missed that cream jug while looking through the Cork Gold and Silver book. Going by the description and height, I suspect it is the cream jug shown by both Bennett and Ticher. In his book, Ticher describes one of the two Carden Terry cream jugs as being of pyriform body, a trumpet-shaped foot and a beaded rim while Bennett says of the same jug, ogee pattern with beaded rim on a round central moulded foot. Ticher gives the height as 13.97cm (5 1/2"). It also has a threaded rim around the foot. For copyright reasons, I don't think I can scan the photograph in the book and post here.

I know the Cork, Limerick and Dublin silver books were issued to accompany exhibitions at the time but I do wish the authors had published even thumbnail photographs of pieces beside the many descriptions lacking larger larger photographs.

Gordon