Gilt Charger

The gilt charger seen here is a good example of Storr's work. His designs were neoclassical, and he avoided much of the excess ornamentation popular with his contemporaries. Even when he turned to the Rococo style his silver was less effusive. The large round basin of the charger is surrounded by a border in which five medallions have been worked in the repoussé fashion. The decorative medallions alternate with scrolls, executed in high relief, in which putti play out pastoral scenes. Chargers, such as this one, were used to bring meat to a dining table. Like much of the silver from this period this form reflects a change in English dining habits, habits that were imported from France. The large amount of objects required by the wealthy to sustain a fine dining table provided an excellent source of commissions for goldsmiths. Storr also executed some ecclesiastical plate and cups to commemorate the victories of royal horses in important English horse races.