Object of the week- Sliver Poetry; Spring Fever Ring

Crafted in remarkable detail, this stunning piece of silver is inspired by the beauty of nature.

Created by artist Junko Mori’s, the breathtaking piece entitled Silver Poetry; Spring Fever Ring is on display in Temple Newsam House’s Bullion Room.

The most significant piece of silver by the artist in a public collection anywhere in the world, it was named in the Art Fund’s top ten acquisitions of 2017.

Piecing it together using 31 different hand-forged silver components, the artist said she was inspired by the bursting of new life on the spring forest floor in North Wales.

The piece first came to Temple Newsam during a dazzling display of silver centrepieces celebrating master silversmiths from the past 250 years.

As well as contemporary pieces, the exhibition also featured a number of beautiful historic pieces from the house’s world-renowned collection including the ornate chinoiserie epergne.

Crafted by Thomas Pitts in 1759 and inspired by a Chinese pagoda, the epergne would have been displayed at lavish dinners and receptions, laden with fruits and delicacies.

It was once owned by Paris socialite and daring early 20th century fashion icon the Hon Mrs Daisy Fellowes.

Also on display was the Kirkleatham centrepiece, made in 1731 by noted silversmith Anne Tanqueray and her brother, David Willaume II, whose renowned workshop had been named Subordinate Goldsmith to the King in 1729.

The pieces are not the only impressive silver exhibits in the house. Elsewhere visitors can see the giant silver wine cooler, which weighs 2,500 ounces and measuring almost a metre-and-a-half across.

The cooler was acquired by Leeds Museums and Galleries in 2011 and was made between 1685 and 1710. It bears the mark of Philip Rollos Snr, who was regarded as one of the finest goldsmiths of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century.

ENDS