Charles II Antique Silver Skillet, London 1665.

Object Description

An exceedingly rare Charles II silver skillet and cover with a distinctive hand beaten finish. Very few of these survive and this example bears all the features described in the text books with its plain, cylindrical body, matching cover, S-scroll handle, and 3 stylised hoof feet. Extremely heavy gauge silver. The pull-off top is of bleeding bowl form and can be used to serve the warm soup/food; it has a pierced handle with engraved armorial. The body has the trademark cartouche applied to the front which holds the cover in place. The underside has an old museum loan number, and paper collection label.

Weight 714g, 22.9 troy oz.
Height 13.2cm, 5.1 ins. Spread 20cm. Diameter 14.2cm.
London 1665.
Maker Francis Leake.
Sterling silver.

A very unusual object with a distinguished provenance.

Marks. Stamped underneath the body and on the side of the cover with a full set of English silver hallmarks, the lid handle with lion and maker’s mark.

Arms. Both the cartouche and cover have a matching coat of arms.

Maker: Francis Leake

Francis Leake, London silversmith, apprenticed to Henry Starkey 1647, free by service 1655, married Mary Temple 1656. Francis established good connections during his working career. The goldsmith banker Edward Blackwell ordered thirty trencher salts and four stands in 1666 after which he facilitated the commission of the altar basin for Auckland Palace to be made by Leake and Wolfgang Howzer in co-operation. Leake also worked as a subcontractor to Sir Robert Viner who was appointed one of the two Principal Goldsmiths to the King in 1660.

There was a family connection to the Vyner family as Francis’ brother Ralph Leake had been apprenticed to goldsmith banker Sir Thomas Vyner (Sir Robert’s step-uncle) in 1645. Francis bound nine apprentices with another two boys turned over to hm by other masters.

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Object History

– A Private South West of England Collection of Early English Silver assembled during the late 1930’s and early 1940’s. The skillet was listed in the collection inventory as purchased from Bruford 20 December 1938, (on behalf of Mallett).
– Christie’s, The Highly Important Collection of Old English and Foreign Silver, The Property of William Randolph Hearst Esq., December 14, 1938, lot 78.
– The paper label states:
Mentioned in Jacksons, page 130.
Exhibited at Glasgow Museum
From the Collections of John A. Holms Esq, Mrs R H Philipson 1929, Francis P. Garvan Esq, William Randolph Hearst Esq.

For maker’s mark see Mitchell, D., Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London, Their Lives and Marks, The Boydell Press, 2017, page 295.
This Skillet is mentioned in Jackson’s, Dover Edition 1964, page 130.
For a write-up on silver skillets, see Clayton, M., The Collector’s Dictionary of Silver and Gold, Hamlyn Publishing 1971, pages 355/56.

Object Literature

Skillets were portable cooking pots on legs used for gently heating broths and/or soft foods over smouldering ashes. These were made during the early to mid 1600’s and usually of iron or copper; the few that survive in solid silver would have made a very ostentatious show of wealth and prestige. Skillets (much rarer than the brandy saucepan which didn’t appear until the end of the 17th century) had a very distinctive, cylindrical body set on three or more feet. The handle was either straight as with a saucepan or curved as with a tankard. Some had short spouts. The lid was used to serve the skillet contents; it was usually of straight sided bleeding bowl (porringer) form and kept in place with an applied cartouche at the front of the body.

Object Condition

The skillet and cover are in remarkably good condition for its age and type of use. Some wear and tear visible, minor denting, and a small fissure on the lid handle. Sharp engravings.

Object Details