10/07/2026
Sometimes I go looking, others times the pewter finds me. This rare gem found me thanks to a kind young woman in neighboring Vermont.
9 & 11/16” multi reeded plate with the marks of Richard White, London, circa 1688. Reeding refers to the decorative bands on the out edge of the plates rim.
What sets this plate apart, aside from its age (388 years) is the amazing hammered surface. Starting at the center and working to the outer edge, there are twelve rows of hammering.
The hammer men were so skilled (they had their own guild) that there is not one hammer mark which overlaps another!
Why hammer at all? 17th & 18th century pewterers believed this practice strengthened the cast pewter plates, dishes & basins.
Whether the hammering strengthens pewter or not, the end result is a beautiful thing to behold.
Not for sale, but on display in my shop. Come have a look!
