An extremely rare Charles II provincial silver tankard, Newcastle circa 1670-80 by William Ramsey I (free. 1656, d.1698)

Of tapering cylindrical form with moulded rims, the hinged stepped lid raised by a cast and applied saddle form thumbpiece, the lid with a gently shaped front. The C scroll handle engraved with near contemporaneous initials W over G * E in Roman script. Marked to the right of the handle with a maker’s mark WR above a bird, town mark, a rose twice. The lid marked in front of finial with the same.

Height – 13.2 cm / 5.25 inches

Weight – 527 grams / 16.94 ozt

William Ramsey I was the most prolific of all the late 17^th century Newcastle silversmiths. While spoons survive in appreciable quantities, holloware is of distinct rarity and preciousness. These marks appear on another Ramsey tankard, dated to circa 1670, but of a completely different form. This example with a generally more rounded body, three cast and applied pomegranate feet, as well as a more elaborate thumbpiece is directly inspired by Norwegian and Danish peg tankards of the 1660’s, for which a small number of English copies were made in York and Newcastle reflecting the active trade between these counties and their Scandinavian neighbours. This Ramsey peg tankard is in the V&A collection (M.180-1938).

Another early example of Ramsey’s work is a gilt porringer engraved with a date of 1669, held in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle (TWCMS : K1119), within the same collection and also bearing the same marks as the present lot is The Sawley Flagon dated to 1670 (TWCMS : B2369), also with different marks a Chinoiserie flat chased porringer of the 1680’s (TWCMS : B629), and a mug (TWCMS : B2381).

A chocolate pot, one of only two recorded from Newcastle, by Ramsey circa 1690 was sold Christie’s New York, 23 Oct 2000, lot 279 ($49,350 incl. prem)/

A tumbler cup by Ramsey was sold Tennants, 22 July 2011, lot 392 (£4500 hammer)

A tankard of circa 1660 by John Wilkinson I was sold Bonham’s New Bond Street, 21 Nov 2018, lot 140 (£20,000 incl. prem)