The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09
PEWTER WARE AND MARKS.
Old PIECES WHICH ARE BEST
WORTH BUYING.
Processes OF Manufacture Help to Dis
tingulsh the Genuine Value or Old
Pewter Modern Country House Needs
Bringing Pewter Int Use Again

Bringing Pewter Into Use Again
The use Of pewter for domestic utensils
goes so far back that it is hard to assign a
date to the precise time when it succeeded
wood. Indeed, even after pewter drinking
vessels were in use, wooden trenchers
were found in many households, since they
were cheaper, easier to obtain, and at a
pinch could be made in the house.
Perhaps the earliest use of pewter was
for church vessels, though this was strongly
opposed by the Catholic Church on the
ground that pewter was not sufficiently
precious. The Council of Reims in the
year BAT and the Synod of Canterbury in
the thirteenth century forbade the use
of pewter for the paten and chalice.
In 1852 at Nismes these two decisions
were confirmed, but poor communities
were permitted to use their pewter vessels.
In Belgium at the present day the eucharistic
vessels for daily Use are of pewter, and
until the revolution in France it was the
custom to reserve the vessels of precious
metal for special occasions.
The princes of the State as well as the
princes of the Church used pewter in their
households till well into the Middle Ages.
In 1900 King Edward /. had -leaden' vessels
in which the boiled meats for the corona
ton were cooked, and had a supply Of
more thar three hundred pewter dishes,
salt cellars, platters and cups in his possess
sion. Louis XIV. took the silver plate Of
his subjects to pay for his wars and other
projects, and decreed that they use pewter,
allowing the dignitarie OF the Church to
nave their vessels inlaid with precious
metals.
IL we turn to the Orient we will find that
pewter was made and worked there much
earlier. as far back as two thousand years
z In London are pieces OF Japanese
pewter which are known to be LOO years
old, the composition Of the alloy being lead
and tin.
The composition Of pewter varies, not
only in the country in which it vas made,
but also As regards the purpose for which
& is to be used. II is safe to say hat the best
pewter was made in England, since it was a
matter which was strictly looked after
by the Worshipful Company OF Pewterers,
who fned and otherwise punished those
makers whom they discovered making arti-
cles below standard either as to weight or
quality.
The very best pewter was what was known
as plate pewter, which contained 100 parts
Of tin, 8 parts Of anthony and 4 parts of
copper. Ley metal, the poorest and cheap
est quality, contained 81 per cent. Of tin
and 20 Of lead. Common pewter, known as
Crife, had 80 per cent. Of tin and IS Of anti
mony, while the quality Used for small
objects like salt cellars, tokens and little
ewers had 90 per cent. Of tin and 10 per cent.
Of lead.
At the end Of the sixteenth century, that
is.during the time Of Shakespeare and OF
Queen Elizabeth, pewter was sold by the
garnish. Harrison, who wrote his @De-
scription Of England in 1857, has this to
say: such furniture of this metal is corn
monty sold by the garnish, which doth
containe II platters, ~ dishes, IL saucers
and these are either Of silver fashion, or
else with brode Of 'narrow brims and bought
by the pound. which is now valued at seven
pence or reradvcnturc at eightpence.'
Silver fashion has always been popular