Sponsor sought to keep silver collection intact

National Museum silver holdings could be transformed to world-class by acquisition.

THE inverted pear-shaped teapot, illustrated above, is unique in Cork silver. It is the only known teapot of this shape with a lobed, compressed-baluster body with stylised fans and husks, applied with a turned-wooden leaf-capped loop handle; the hinged cover with conforming decoration and disc finial is raised on a circular foot.

Stamped to the base with Walshe, SW and Sterling, and with scratch weight of 23 oz 2dwts including wooden handle.

The teapot was made by Stephen Walshe in Cork around 1750 — a time when master silversmiths flourished in the city.

It is part of a collection of Irish silver available to the Museum of Decorative Arts at Collin’s Barracks, Dublin until the end of February. After that, the collection will be broken up, or sold.

So, a sponsor is urgently needed for the 107 pieces, valued at €1.75 million. A donor should be able to offset most of this against tax.

The collection contains all the principal styles of ornamentation and decoration in silverware from Rococo and early Georgian periods, through Classical and Neo-Classical to Regency.

The collection, which is capable of transforming the silver holdings at the National Museum to the best in the world, can be viewed at www.antiqueirishsilver.com[/url.