Epergne recalls the glory days of Irish silver

GIVEN that next Wednesday is St Patrick's Day, it is appropriate that the sale of silver at Christie's in London should include some examples of Irish workmanship in this field. Irish silver was especially fine during the 18th century, when national aggrandisement (and expenditure on luxury items) was at its height.

But like so many other areas of the decorative arts, in the post-1800 period there was a dramatic decline in the number of silversmiths, and it seems that by the middle of the 19th century there were no workshops still surviving in Cork and Limerick, both of which had flourishing silver industries 100 years earlier.

In particular, with the removal of protective tariffs, mass-produced items came to be imported from England at cheaper prices than domestic producers could hope to achieve. As a result, pieces of Irish silver from the early decades of the 19th century, and especially from provincial centres, are relatively rare. Although there is one example of mid-Victorian silver with Irish associations in the Christie's sale - an ornate sideboard dish set with hardstones and made for the seventh Viscount Powerscourt - the finer pieces carry earlier dates. The most attractive of all is a George III epergne carrying the maker's mark, probably that of Robert Breading, Dublin 1787 (estimate sterling £40,000-£60,000).

Because of its date, this should be considered an instance of the abiding fondness for rococo in Ireland after it had been supplanted by Adamesque classicism in England, rather than a precursor of Regency love of ornamentation. Still, the detachable pineapple finial at the top of the pierced canopy frame - as well as its thin-stemmed columns and tiny bells - is reminiscent of Regency orientalism as exemplified by the decoration of the Brighton Pavilion. What helps to mark the epergne as belonging to an earlier period are the female portraits in oval cartouches on the apron and the swags which have been chased onto the baskets. Dating from the mid-1820s and therefore post-neoclassical, is a set of three circular silver salvers which were made in Dublin (£25,000-£35,000). Their elaborately chased borders feature the shamrock, thistle and rose, while the two smaller salvers have a border showing Neptune, Britannia and Hibernia arm in arm, the crowned harp of Ireland and a series of river-god masks.

The reason for these aquatic allusions is explained in the main dish, which carries an engraving of Dublin's Custom House. Forming the centrepiece of a "sideboard service", the set was presented in 1823 by his former officers to the Hon. Abraham Hely Hutchinson, who had been chairman of the Board of Customs in Dublin. The 14 river heads on the dishes came from those designed by Edward Smyth for the keystones of the Custom House. Other Irish emblems to be found include a round tower and an Irish wolfhound, and there are also representations of agriculture, industry, trade and commerce on the salvers. Again, there is something of the mid-18th century about this work, reflecting George IV's love of the Louis XV-style, which he did much to promote during his time as both regent and king.

Elaborate ornamentation never went completely out of favour in Ireland and began to enjoy fresh popularity later in the 19th century. At the same time, Irish silversmiths began to find more opportunities for work, due in part to a revival of interest in ancient celtic motifs which continues today.