Silver

Schuppe (and friends):
As I noted in the brief section on history, the popularity of cow creamers in mid-18th century England is attributed to Dutch silversmith John Schuppe, who moved to London @1750 and registered his mark there in 1753 (albeit the Hugenot silversmith David Willaume II, 1693-1761 is credited with an earlier version of a silver cow creamer). 

Most of Schuppe’s creamers date from around the 1760’s; he died in 1773.  I have two Schuppe’s in my collection (both acquired from I. Franks Antique Silver in the London Silver Vaults), shown in both side and front views, along with their hallmarks: Schuppe’s JS, the lion rampant denoting silver, the leopard head with crown which is the early London assay mark, and the date stamp, here 1764 for the smooth creamer (Hairiette) and 1768 for the chased one (Hairy). 

The fly on the lid – flies being pervasive around cows and milking (and not as disparaged then as now, I’ve heard) – has become traditional on silver creamers, as you will see on much of the rest of the collection; and the scrawny legs have also carried on through the years; butts, however, are a different story, and  differ widely. Schuppe’s seem somewhat more realistic than many others.

I’d like to learn more about John Schuppe and about David Willaume II and his creamer as well, if someone can kindly point me to a source.  www.UKauctioneers.com has a very nice glossary (that they attribute to Reader’s Digest’s “Treasures in your Home”) that notes that “David Willaume I (1658-1741) [was a] huguenot silversmith who worked in London using many techniques and designs which were far advanced. His pieces are individualistic … His son David Willaume II (1693 -1761) took over the business in 1716. For a time the two silversmiths were thought to be one and the same”.  There is nothing about Schuppe, however.

Schuppe’s traditional form remains popular, as these modern versions attest.  These two facing each other, one smooth (Daisy) and the other chased (Doris), were made (and named) by Veronica Shaw (www.veronicashawjewellery.co.uk), who later became a good friend and from whom I commissioned Dalina (the silver creamer featured on the home page), and Bluebell – more about them below.  These two creamers both date from 2002, and thus bear the QEII Jubilee special mark, as well as “TB” (for Tim Birtwell who made the mold and did the pressing), the lion rampant, and the London assay leopard head.  The third creamer, also chased, is also from 2002 and bears the “A&T” hallmark of Adams and Taber.  These are all fine modern copies, and bear a close resemblance to the originals (except for the price tag), as you can see from the group picture.

The Schuppe influence also shows through clearly in these two modern creamers, the one on the left from 1958 and bearing the hallmark “SJS” for S.J.Shrubsole, Ltd; and on the right from 1962, marked with a “2” and “HP” over “LP” Herbert Parsons and Laurie Parsons, trading as Tessiers Ltd.

Here, the Schuppe influence remains in the scrawny legs, but the bodies, faces, horns etc have assumed quite a different appearance. Also note the variations in the flies – none on the cow on left, and facing rear on the cow in the middle; the flowery decorations remain, but somewhat subdued.  The creamer on the left is German 800 silver and bears a couple marks I can’t identify. I believe it’s fairly new, as opposed to the one in the middle which is also German but dates from 1902.  The one on the right, also German, is marked “sterling” and “925” (plus 3 unidentified marks), and also bears the script name “Cartier”, who retailed it in the US.

Finally, here’s Pete Acquisto’s (of Acquisto Silver of Albuquerque, NM, www.acquistosilver.com) version…I debated whether to put this here or with the other miniatures, but since it’s his interpretation of a Schuppe (at 1/12 scale of course, as are his other silver pieces) I figured it belonged here. But then I decided that since it’s so tiny, it might as well be in both spots.

Other Silver Cow Creamers

These still have flies on the lids, and the one on the left has Schuppe-like legs, but they all have lots of different features.  The heavy creamer in the middle with the short horns dates from 1998 and bears the “JMS” hallmark of J.M.Surtees  (plus the lion rampant and the London assay mark) – from whom I bought it, at his shop (Vault 65) in the Chancery Lane London Silver Vaults .  On the left is an “800” silver creamer,  probably German, with two marks, one of which is a crown over “GR” in a heart (help, anyone??).  On the right is a very heavy cast creamer, with a very prominent and hairy chest bearing the word “Sterling”; it was made in the US.    It is nearly identical to the one on the right…”

…in this picture, which bears a “U-“ ‘brand’   on the left rump, as well the marks “Shreve & Co,” and “Sterling”.    On the left is quite a different interpretation – heavy chest, long pointy teats, a tiny circular mouth hole, small lid without a fly.  It dates from @1890, and bears two French marks, one a Minerva head, as well as “800” on the bottom of the left front hoof. 

On the left is a Dutch creamer from @1880.  The seller, on Portobello Road, said that the previous owner was a UK doctor who thought it was French, and had taken it to Australia (and back to London) with him.  A well-traveled cow.  The smaller creamer in the middle bears the marks “Sterling, Germany, 925”, and what looks like a “1”.  On the right is a fully chased cow with a round mouth and a buckled belt for a collar, Dutch from @1890.  The lids on these are interesting – the two on the left have a pommel or knob on the front to help with opening, and the one on the right has a tiny fly which serves the same purpose.

Here’s a creamer that’s very similar to the one in the middle above, to better show the pommel on the lid.  It’s also marked “Sterling, Germany, 925”, but in addition has a mark that looks like a dagger on its tail.  It is considerably lighter than the one it closely resembles.

This is a modern Dutch .833 silver creamer, with exceedingly clear marks. It was made by Zaanlandse Zilversmederij, E. Schoorl/G. Schoorl-Peetoom, Amsterdam, who operated from 1920 – 1990.  It was assayed in Amsterdam in 1927

Here’s a quite different style – more realistic -- albeit retaining the traditional fly.  The modern (1998) creamer on the left bears the “RHL” hallmark of Richard Hugh Lawton (plus lion rampant and London assay).  The one on the right, with the pommel on the lid, has a tube sticking out of its mouth to serve as a spout.  It bears the marks “Sterling 925 Germany 4”; it came from Freigericht Neuses, via eBay.

These two bear a resemblance to the modern Lawton creamer, but are considerably older.  They also have their tongues sticking slightly out of the middle of their mouths, as well as prominent rib marks and long pointy teats. The one on the left is hallmarked for Maurice Freeman, London, 1909.  The one on the right with the red glass eyes and neck wrinkles is Dutch from 1890, and bears the maker’s mark “MC”.   

This is another realistic Dutch creamer, marked for Dortrecht, and probably from around 1890.  It also bears a couple of fancy, pseudo-hallmarks that I haven't been able to identify.

A knowledgeable seller kindly informed me that although I thought this was Dutch, it is most likely from "Hanau, Germany, by B.Neresheimer & Sohne...Hanau makers used elaborate marks (pseudo marks) to stamp their silver. "

This is another Hanau cow, stamped German 800 silver, also bearing both the German moon and crown, and the  pseudo marks of Johann S. Kurz & Co., active 1870-1960s. The seller states it dates to late 19c or early 20c.

Switching countries, here is a 925 silver cow stamped on its tail for Italy, with "Cartier" in script.

These four all have scrawny Schuppe legs, but roundish faces and bodies, as well as (though you can’t see them) rounded udders without distinct teats.  On the left is a 1902 creamer hallmarked for D&J Welby of London. To its right is a Dutch creamer from 1899 with hallmarks on the lid as well as the belly, “Fifi” according to Veronica Shaw from whom I acquired it.  It apparently had a hard life, and Veronica had to do a bit of repair work.  The red-eyed one next to Fifi also bears Dutch marks; the year mark is a “Q” in a circle (help from someone please??).  The one on the right is also Dutch-made but has London import marks for 1891.

This very heavy and extremely ornate creamer with the very large and detailed fly was made by Garrard & Co. of London in 1997; it bears their “G&Co.Ltd” hallmark and the lion rampant and leopard-head London assay, as well as the Garrard stamp.  This company was founded by silversmith George Wickes (1698-1761) in London in 1735 and underwent several name and partnership changes before becoming Garrard & Co @1802.  Queen Victoria bestowed the honor of Crown Jeweler on Garrard in 1843, a responsibility they retained until 2007.  They amalgamated with the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co. Ltd in 1952, which was taken over in turn by Mappin & Webb (established in 1797) in 1959. www.antiquesilverspoons.co.uk notes that in the early 60’s Mappin & Webb combined with Walker and Hall and Elkington  & Co. and are still active today as retailers under the auspices of British Silverware Ltd.”  Interestingly, Wikipedia has a somewhat different version of their recent history, noting that Garrard demerged in 2002, then was acquired by the US private equity firm Yucaipa Cos. in 2006 (which may explain why they are no longer the crown jewelers…).  Can someone correct or verify all this??  Oh, the tangled webs of recent M&As!.  Whatever, it’s a lovely cow creamer, albeit a bitch to polish with all those protrusions!

These are extremely large, heavy, and exquisitely crafted German 925 creamers.  I believe they are late 19c, but they certainly date from after 1868 when the Germans standardized the national hallmark to be a crescent moon and crown (Halbmond und Krone).  They bear these and the 925 mark on the tail, as well as a standing lion.  One of them is also stamped for “Germany”, presumably meaning it was made for export (I got the one without that stamp directly from Germany – so some of these apparently stayed home).  I’ve searched diligently through the main (and excellent) web sources on German hallmarks -- the “Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks and Maker’s Marks”,www.925-1000.com, and “A Small Collection of Antique Silver and Objects of vertu”, www.silvercollection.it, but can’t find anything that looks like the makers mark on these.  Perhaps some expert can help me.

This is another quite large and heavy German creamer with 925 and the Halbmond und Krone, but no makers mark that I can find.  It came straight from Germany so most likely was not made for export.

This lovely hammered pitcher with a gold interior and the small cow figure dates from 1979, and was a present from my wife during our visit to Dublin in 1997. Interestingly, although cows abound in Ireland, this is the only one remotely like a creamer that we found during our several visits around the Isle.

Bulls too!

Apparently some bulls give cream if treated properly.  This hefty, hairy, short horned, well endowed chap is 925 German silver, and hales from Freigericht via eBay.  Then there’s this elegant pair, she and he, bearing marks that include an Old English “m” as well as “STERLING, handmade”.  The bull has an open back, but does indeed have a mouth hole so qualifies even if he’s intended to carry sugar.  His lady friend has a lid with a simple aft-facing fly and indented floral decorations.

More Bulls:  These two German bulls are likely intended to be a pair or part of a set since they have similar makers marks, the letters "BZ", and "800" for the silver quality.  I have been unable to identify the mark, but they’re post 1866 because Germany used city marks until then.  I bought these two and a third silver creamer from a Heritage Galleries on-line auction; it’s the first time I tried one of those, and it worked fine.

Here’s another little 800 German silver bull with the post-1866 crescent moon and crown mark, but interestingly no maker’s mark that I can find. He’s a nice little bull, so I’m not sure why the maker didn’t want to identify his work.

Commissions from Veronica Shaw

I started corresponding with Veronica Shaw after I bought one of her Schuppe copies on eBay. After a number of emails, I asked her to design and make a silver cow creamer for me.  The result was “Bluebell”, a heavy Modigliani-inspired “Auroch”-like lost-wax cast creamer, standing on a heavily enameled base plate (which also, please note, bears the fly).  The patterning under the enamel is designed to make it look like watered silk, and the cow is heavily chased.  The base bears her “VJS” (Veronica Jane Shaw) makers mark, the lion rampant, 925 (it’s actually 958, Brittania Silver), the Leopard Head assay, and the Queens Head special mark for 2002. The cow itself was assayed in 2003, and bears simply the maker’s and assay marks.

When I met Veronica during a quick trip to London a year or so later, she showed me a creamer she had made for another patron (it’s on her web site).  I liked it so much I asked her to make a similar one for me, and the result is the Dali-inspired Dalina, bearing a Schuppe head and modernistic body, again on a beautifully enameled silver stand.  Dalina was assayed in London in 2004, and enjoys looking at her dangling fly.  Later, my wife and I had the pleasure of hosting Veronica during her trip to the US.

A Herd of Little Silver Creamers

I’m particularly fond of the small ‘single serving’ (or maybe two servings) creamers, that I assume one would set out at each place at a fancy dinner party.  Here’s an overview of my herd of them…all about 3” tall or less, and in these herd shots accompanied by the little doll house Schuppe model from Peter Acquisto that was described above and in the Miniatures page.  Following are some pictures and descriptions of the ones not already depicted, and their marks.

This stately small steer was sold as French, but I’m not sure.  The markings are very unusual in that they’re spread out… what is most likely the maker’s mark – JR ? – on the tail; what looks to me to be a lion with one paw out in front (back parts blurred) on the belly; and  a sort of fuzzy blob that the seller thought might be a Minerva’s head under the lid.  No fly – so for sure it’s not English, and it must live in a very clean pasture.  I could certainly use some help with this one.

This is the first little silver one I bought – in 1997, from I. Franks in the London Silver Vaults, the same store where I got the Schuppe’s.  Mr. Franks said it was ‘European’ from around 1890.  These marks are also interesting – one appears to be a bunch of grapes, and I don’t quite know how to describe the other. You may also notice that I’m reflected along with my camera on the cow’s side…the same problem occurs on many of the others. The next few cows are quite similar to this one albeit each is a bit different – it seems to be a rather popular style.

This cow also came from the Silver vaults – the shop of Stephen Kalms (dangerous place, the silver vaults…).  He claimed it was German. It’s clearly 800 silver, and the other mark appears to be a different version of the bunch of grapes. 

I got this one from a company named Britannia of Chesterfield, Ohio, through eBay in 2000.  Its markings are a lot of fun…In one direction there’s a “KS” surrounded by three dots for Karl Schatz of Hanau who was active in the 1st quarter of the 20th century (info courtesy of the Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks…), and 930 silver.  The German crown and crescent mark are absent although they were supposed to be compulsory after 1888, presumably because it was made expressly for a British importer.  The marks in the other direction show that it was imported into the UK (the ‘u’ in the circle is the British import mark used since 1906) in 1912 (that’s the “r”)  by “R.L” (which is right in the middle of the camera reflection), whom I can’t identify, and it is considered sterling by the Brits (925).  Someone has also scratched “O8W” – or more likely “M&O” into the bottom.  No idea what that is…

Just after I bought the Britannia cow on eBay my wife and I went to the Baltimore Antique fair, and lo and behold they had a booth there, where I bought this creamer.  It’s clearly another German 925 sterling silver export, but this time to the US.  I don’t know what the ‘5’ represents, and there’s no maker’s mark that I can find. 

Here’s another creamer made for US import – thus the word ‘Sterling’ as well as the ‘925’.  I can’t identify the maker’s mark that appears to me to be a combined l and x, but it and ‘925’ are repeated under the lid.

This is its close cousin, again with 'Sterling', '925', and a couple makers marks I can't make out, on the left side of the tail.

For the last of this set of somewhat similar cows, here’s a German one that was apparently made to stay at home.  800 silver, the German crescent moon and crown (pretty indistinguishable), and the maker’s “B&Z”.  Again, I can’t find this mark in the Online Encyclopedia…but next you will find a couple more by the same company.

Here are the other two B&Z creamers – similar, but one with big red eyes and the other with them either missing, or done differently…smaller in any event, but what it lacks in eyes it more than makes up for with teats.    Both tails are marked “Germany” and 800, and have an indistinguishable blob which I’m guessing should be the crescent moon and crown.

This is an interesting very small cast sterling creamer that the seller, in Germany, indicated was probably from the 1930s.  It has the crown but no moon…and again the word ‘sterling’ implying it was made for US import.  I’d guess there was a bell on the loop in the front of the big collar at one point.

This creamer came from the same German collection, but several years later.   It is marked in an unusual place, inside the right rear leg.  In addition to the ‘925’ it bears a maker’s mark of a J, a swan, and a k in an oval, for Johan S. Kurz & Co. of Hanau.  The Encyclopedia of Silver marks says they were active from c1870-1960s, and “worked in the antique style”, whatever that means.

This very tiny but delightful little guy is a bit of a cheat for the collection since instead of having two holes, his head is on a hinge. He’s so cute however that I couldn’t resist.  I’d guess he was probably a snuff box.  His marks are interesting since they’re both outside on the neck and on the inside rim.  Outside, the F is the British import mark used from 1867-1904.  The lion passant stands for sterling, and the T=1894.  These are repeated and the English Leopard head added inside, and on the other side is the mark of the importer, DB for David Bridge, General Manager of John George Smith & Co., Manufacturers, who imported a lot of silver items, many from Germany although there is no definite indication of origin here.

I almost hate to put this lovely creamer last, but it is significantly different than the others, in that it’s silver plated rather than solid silver. It’s well marked for the maker, George Richmond Collis, who in 1835 took over the firm of Sir Edward Thomason at 28 Church Street, Birmingham, moving in 1868 to Cambridge Street. In 1854 Collis opened a branch at 130 Regent Street, London. The firm was absorbed by S.W. Smith & Co in 1888. This creamer is clearly marked for the London address, and I need to do more homework to interpret the rest of the marks and gain more information. I’ve shown it next to an electroplated nickel silver one by PT&Co (no further info) since it bears a family resemblance although with clear differences.