Paul de Lamerie, one of the greatest silversmiths working in 18th-Century London, was a Dutch-born Huguenot refugee. He served a traditional apprenticeship before founding his own workshop, which was one of the first to adopt the French Rococo style.
Today, “some of the best silversmiths trained in Britain were either born elsewhere or are second-generation immigrants,” says Tessa Murdoch, the deputy keeper of sculpture, metalwork, ceramics and glass at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London.
At Hong Kong’s Liang Yi museum, the V&A is celebrating international craftsmen’s contribution to British silver design with a loan exhibition of 46 historical and contemporary pieces, including an ornate silver coffee pot by De Lamerie from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection.
Masterpieces of British Silver: Highlights from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Until 18 August, Liang Yi Museum, www.liangyimuseum.com
