NEW YORK — Collecting silver is a passion for those who seek eye-catching centerpieces fit for a palace or even just tumblers for everyday use. There are many styles as well as an infinite number of silversmiths to choose from. Women silversmiths were not uncommon in the 1700s, and one of the names that comes up often at auction is Hester Bateman, whose pieces have been coveted across the centuries.
Bateman (circa 1708-1794) was the wife of John Bateman, a chain maker (a form of a silversmith). They raised at least five children together, and she also assisted him in his silversmithing shop. As was typical in this era, she inherited his tools and his business when he died in 1760 and came up with her own hallmarks, including her initials ‘HB’ in a fancy script. Known as the queen of British silversmiths, she ran the family business for about 30 years before several of her sons took it over.
“Hester’s workshop produced thousands of works in the Neoclassical style. She created household silverwares such as teapots, coffee caddies, samovars, cutlery, and racing cups for a middle-class London clientele,” according to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which noted that much of her work was inspired by classical Greek and Roman motifs.
Collecting silver is, as with anything else, highly personal, but with Bateman pieces, collectors are advised to seek out large and heavy pieces to capitalize on their investment value. Standouts also boast fine engraving or piercing that accentuate the play of light on the silver.
“Her holloware forms are where the interest is, and those tend to be those wonderful Neoclassical-style George III works with beautiful lines and classical urn forms,” said Karen Rigdon, vice president of fine silver and objects of vertu, furniture, and decorative arts at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. While the auction market for Bateman’s work was perhaps more favorable about a decade ago, Rigdon said her statement pieces continue to do well, and are acquired mainly by American buyers.
A case in point is a sizable silver punch bowl she made in London in 1781 that attained a robust price of $15,000 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2021 at Heritage Auctions. This commanding piece, weighing 63 troy ounces and standing 8 3/4 by 12 3/8 inches tall, was simple and elegant in its form, with delicate engraving on the front and around the rim. “That piece is pretty massive, 63 ounces, which is incredible,” Rigdon said, adding, “When her bright-cut engraving is good, it’s very good.” The bowl is clearly recognizable as Bateman’s to those who know her work, but it is also clearly identifiable on the bottom, too, marked with her initials as well as the lion passant and crowned leopard’s head marks she is known to have used.
Showcasing the quality of Bateman’s engraving is a George III English silver pitcher from 1786, which made $3,500 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022 at Brunk Auctions. The pear-form pitcher, having an elongated spout and an S-scroll handle, boasted fine engraving of a heraldic design with an arm holding a flag above the initials RAB.
Barrel forms with movement around the side and bright-cut engraving are some of the distinguishing attributes of Bateman’s best silver, Rigdon noted. “That’s what you think of with her — simple, classical forms, motion that tends to be vertical lines, and then the engraved surfaces.”
Judaica silver is prized by collectors and has a loyal following. Bateman was known to have made pieces for a then-new synagogue for the Jewish community of Portsmouth, which is reported to be the oldest Anglo-Jewish community outside of London. A Hester Bateman parcel gilt Torah silver pointer earned $7,250 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2016 at J. Greenstein & Co., Inc.
Silver collectors who use it to set a stylish table seek pieces such a pair of Bateman’s two-handled vase-form cups and covers that stood 16 1/2 inches tall. Dating to 1784 and boasting urn-form finials on the lids, the pair realized $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2023 at Neal Auction Company.
Pickings are a bit slim at auction these days for Bateman silver. What mostly becomes available are the aforementioned statement pieces that possess a certain heft and well-done engraving that auctioneers know will sell well, and indeed, they do tend to fly high above their estimates.
Complete sets offer added value, as seen with a Hester Bateman five-piece silver salver set from the mid-1780s that bested its $2,000-$4,000 estimate to sell for $6,500 plus the buyer’s premium in February 2023 at Heritage Auctions. The set featured a 12 1/4-inch coffee pot with a wooden handle and a delicate urn-finial on the cover, as well as smaller pieces comprising a teapot, basket, a pitcher, and a salver 16 inches in diameter. Fine beading graces the spout of the coffee pot and the basket’s handle, and also circles the bases of several of the pieces.
Unusual and rare Bateman works also command attention, such a George III silver wax jack that made £2,600 ($3,325) plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023 at John Nicholson Auctioneers. A wax jack was used to hold sealing wax tapers in order to seal documents. Standing on ball and claw feet, this 1776 example stood 6 1/2 inches tall and also had fine beading edges.
Bateman’s decoration tended to be restrained and minimal, but a stunning exception is a George III silver tea caddy with dare-we-say exuberant engraving that realized $2,500 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2023 at Alex Cooper.
With care and effort, collectors who admire Hester Bateman silver can build a respectable collection that will hold its value. Large, heavy-gauge silver holloware pieces with bright-cut engraving and piercing will not only stand up to market fluctuations but will also be a joy to behold for years.
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