silverwork: Silverwork in Asia and the Americas

Silversmiths of Asian countries have been expert from early times. The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum contain representative pieces of superior workmanship, some from Persia, India, and Tibet and other regions of China. Silverwork is an important native craft in Mexico, among native tribes in the W United States, and in Peru, where the abundant metal is often used unalloyed.

In the American colonies silversmithing proved so profitable that it attracted several hundred silverworkers. It was highly developed in New England, by such leaders as John Hull, Jeremiah Dummer, John Coney, and Paul Revere in Boston and Samuel Vernon in Newport, R.I., and in other American cities including Philadelphia and New York, where the Boelen family and Jacobus van der Spiegel were especially noted. Colonial silver, simple in design, is much sought by collectors.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Silverwork in Asia and the Americas
• European Silverwork
• Ancient Silverwork
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Arts and Crafts