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Queen Anne

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Anne became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland in 1702 and reigned until her death in 1714. After the Acts of Union of 1706/7, she became the first monarch of Great Britain and Ireland.

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This Queen Anne silver dish is made from Britannia silver. It is of lobed elongated oval form and designed andf made by William Spring of London. It is hallmarked London 1708. It has an engraved inscription on the base 'The Gift of Merry Beacham to Annie Sperring 1711'. The length 15.5cm and the weight 85 gm.  William Spring was apprenticed to John Hoyte in 1693, was turned over to Samuel Hood, and was free in 1700. William Spring was a goldsmith and silversmith in the Strand, London (near the Hungerford market) until 1727.

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Britannia silver is 95.8% pure and was introduced in England by Act of Parliament in 1697 to replace sterling silver (92.5%) as the obligatory standard. The figure of  Britannia, and the 'lion's head erased' were the new hallamrks. 925 silver was legalised again in 1720 as silversmiths had complained that Britannia silver was too soft.

Queen Anne Britannia Silver Dish by William Spring, London 1708

£3,950

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