George Garthorne, Made For Royal African Company

Biography:

George Garthorne was an English silversmith who was active in the late 17th century. He is known for creating the Monteith, a large silver punch bowl with a scalloped rim, in 1688. The Monteith was made for the Royal African Company, a trading company established in 1660 by the House of Stuart and City of London merchants to trade along the West African coast. The company was overseen by the Duke of York, the brother of Charles II of England, and was granted a monopoly on all English trade along the coast of West Africa. Garthorne's Monteith is a luxurious object that reflects the wealth and culture of the privileged few who would have attended a party where it was used. The bowl was filled with ice water, and wine glasses were suspended around the rim with their bowls resting in the ice. The stem and foot of the wine glass rested on the unique scalloped rim. The Monteith is also a reminder of the source of the wealth and the gross inequities that existed then and continue to exist today. Garthorne's work is an example of the opulence and extravagance of the late 17th century, and it is a testament to the skill and craftsmanship of English silversmiths of the time.