Gadrooned Silver Salvers
Gadrooned silver salvers, generally of wide concave segments, appear in the late 16th or early 17th century and remain fashionable until the first decades of the 18th century, beyond the reignof King D. Pedro II (1683–1706) and into that of His son D. João V(1706–1750), surviving as a reminiscence of ancient Roman models. Their aesthetic appeal, resorting to the adoption of smooth, plain surfaces rhythmically defined by the symmetry of repetition, reflects options defined by a contemporary artistic current that argued for the simplicity of shape in detriment of profuse and exuberant Baroque decoration. The plain beauty of these salvers is uniquely based on theirshape – robust, sober and smooth, and in the interaction between these aesthetics and the diffused light reflections of their concave segments, giving these pieces an unusual artistic quality that would be hidden by unnecessary or superfluous ornamentation. This same matrix was adopted in the production of other typologies such as bowls, wine tasters and water basins, equally manufactured without any added unnecessary decorative elements, valuing uniquely the beauty of their sobriety and the diffuse reflection of their silvery sheen, the characteristics that provide them with their truly uniqueness.
A Portuguese silver salver featuring a plain central medallion framed by peripheral reeded frame, and scalloped edge defined by twenty-six concave and grooved centripetal gadroons. Of a typology characteristic of the salvers produced between the late 17th and the early 18th century, the hallmarks to its underside do confirm that chronology. The silver assay-mark (P10.0) ,datable to within the above-mentioned time frame, is attributable to Manuel do Couto de Azevedo (1656–1721) , who was sworn in as Oporto silver assayer in 1694 and granted the Habit of the Military Order of Christ, by King Pedro, II in 1698.Corresponding to an unidentified Oporto goldsmith, thes tamped mark AV/R (P183.0a) has been recorded on other objects, namely on a group of twelve salvers that includes two tall footed examples. The raw material plasticity was wisely treated, with the purpose of highlighting the object’s shape, thus revealing the typical frugality of Portuguese silversmithing dating from the late 1600s,and from the earlier part of the following century.
Certificate of Authenticity by Sofia Ruival and Henrique Braga.