Because pewter was a far softer metal, a thicker construction was often used as a means of increasing durability. The difficulty and expense of obtaining molds resulted in a slower stylistic evolution than that of silver which did not require molds for its manufacture, though the general design trends in silver were eventually reflected in pewter. Showing great ingenuity, pewterers often used one mold for a variety of purposes.Įarly American pewter is noted for its simplicity of style. One tankard required five separate molds, one each for the body, bottom, handle, cover, and thumbpiece. These would then be passed down from generation to generation of pewterers. However molds were produced in America as well. Molds were very expensive and immigrating pewterers often brought their molds with them from England and Germany. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries American pewter was made by casting the molten metal in molds which were usually made of brass or bronze. Important families even went so far as to have family crests or coats of arms engraved on pewter when they purchased it. Owners would stamp or engrave their initials on their more important pieces of pewter and this would serve as identification should the pieces be borrowed or stolen. Pewter was marked not only by its makers but also often by its owners. Numerous touchmarks have been rendered illegible through wear, and many pieces were never marked in the first place since it was never required by law. The collector of American pewter is presented with a multitude of problems in identification, for not all touchmarks have yet been linked to a specific pewterer. After about 1825 the originality of the decorative touches declined radically to simply the pewterer's name in a rectangular frame. While English touch designs, such as the rampant lion, were popular before the War for Independence, afterwards the patriotic American eagle was often substituted. " More than 300 tons of English pewter were shipped to the American colonies annually in the 1760's.Īs did silversmiths, many pewterers identified their works by stamping their pewter with a mark called a touchmark or simply a touch. Symonds revealed that by 1720 "the value of pewter imports from England began to exceed the combined totals of the value of silver objects, furniture, upholstery wares, including bedding, curtains, carpets, hangings, and upholstered furniture. A study of English export records by Robert W. Though pewter vessels cost only about one-tenth the price of silver, they were still fairly expensive since the cost of a dish or tankard equaled or exceeded what a skilled craftsman earned in a day. While the very poor used wooden utensils, most colonials who could afford it used pewter and it came to be regarded as almost a symbol of gentility. However, the demand for pewter was always great and colonial pewterers could sell their wares more cheaply than imported English pewter. In daily use, pewter in eighteenth century America is estimated to have lasted only ten years due to its low melting point and the ease with which it was dented. Thus, colonial pewterers were restricted to repair work or were forced to buy up worn pewter vessels at fifty to seventy per cent of their original cost and to melt them and cast them as new items. These pewterers had trained in England under the strict auspices of The Worshipful Company of Pewterers, a powerful guild which so stringently regulated all aspects of the manufacture of pewter that English pewter was regarded as the finest made.Įngland's mercantile policy was to export only finished pewter products to her colonies, to tax unworked pewter and to prohibit the export of pure tin, the main ingredient in pewter. At least five pewterers were active in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1640. Though pewter was then considered to be somewhat of a luxury item, it had made its appearance in Jamestown, Virginia by 1610, and in the New England area by the 1630s as newly arrived colonists brought pewter with them from their native England. The history of pewter in America goes back to the early colonial period. ![]() This was followed in 1473 by Edward IVs grant of a royal charter to the 'Mistery of Pewterers' to supervise and control the trade throughout the Realm. ![]() In England, pewter regulations were passed as early as 1348 in London for quality standards, working conditions, and selling restrictions. Several early civilizations, the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, are known to have used this soft metal. Antique Pewter is an alloy composed mainly of tin with various amounts of copper, zinc, antimony, bismuth and sometimes lead.
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