8     Dutch Silver Toys

 

 

 

he history of the Dutch hallmark is much more complex than the English hallmark system, in that they never adhered to the rules regarding what should be marked on their finished pieces of silver. It appears that silversmithing was crafted in Holland about the mid seventeenth century. There is no denying that the first early toys on record were made in France and Germany, but their silversmiths did not continue to do so; in fact, many of them came to Amsterdam to continue making toys. The doll’s house also became popular in Holland in the latter half of the eighteenth century and there is no doubt that it was this that caused the adult population to collect silver toys to decorate their doll’s houses, which became their pride and joy.

It wasn’t until the late fifteenth, early sixteenth century that legislation was issued by, first of all, Archduke Maximilien, and later in 1503 by Phillip IV (Philip the Fair) that silver and gold products should become hallmarked. This was obligatory and all were expected to comply by marking their work with their own individual mark. The easiest one to recognise today is the Amsterdam mark which consisted of three small ‘x’s with a crown on top, inside a rectangular escutcheon. This mark is very common and was used by many smiths to denote their toys to show they had been made in Amsterdam, when in fact they hadn’t been, so one needs further evidence before being sure that what they have is a treasure toy by a distinguished maker.

It is possible to overlook a silver miniature made by a famous silversmith of the day because he had not stamped it with his mark, or because he didn’t comply with the changes of legislation on silver marking, and continued mixing the old mark of a personal symbol, like a rabbit, a deer or a tree, with his initials. As a result, many eighteenth-century pieces are unmarked but are recognised as being antique. It is worth looking out for the date code letters, usually boldly stamped on the toys. They are generally in alphabetical order and changed each year. This was used to show the year of manufacture.

This practice has been in use since 1528. The Dutch lion rampant was another mark which had to be added as from 1663. This brought the total to four statutory marks that had to be made on pieces of gold or silver. A collector would be fortunate to find a toy with all four marks. Many silvermakers only left the town mark, and there were those that left nothing. Considering there were so many silversmiths operating in Holland only a few are known with a reputation for greatness, though most of the others, many of whom are unknown, were skilled craftsmen.

One of the early silversmiths whose mark is worth noting is Pieter ter Haer. His mark was a sand glass in an upright oval. A very concise display of Dutch hallmarks and the name of the silversmiths to whom they belonged, can be found in Victor Houart’s book Miniature Silver Toys.

 

 

Dutch hallmarks

One will find when inspecting pieces of Dutch silver – apart from vague makers’ marks and year dates which are impossible to trace – tiny individual sword marks. There are basically three of them. The smallest shows the piece was made between 1814 and 1905; the larger one shows it was made between 1906 and 1953; the third and largest sword has a number (usually 835) showing the silver grade dates from 1953 and this is still in use today. It is important to know these as it will save hours of exasperation trying to find if a toy is by a well-known maker and worth a four-figure sum. The other mark which tells you straight away if the toy is scarce is the dolphin stamped on it. This mark was used on gold and silver from 1859 to 1893.

The making of silver toys was not limited to Amsterdam. In fact the outlying towns, or Frisian towns of the Low country of Holland, were producing silver toys well before Amsterdam, but because of lack of knowledge collectors and connoisseurs have not rated these towns and their silver work with any degree of importance.

There is a school of thought that Leeuwarden (the capital of these Frisian towns) was actually producing silver toys in the sixteenth century. This, according to Victor Houart, is not true. Yet it is surprising that these little villages in a rich agricultural area, of no great importance to tourists, did manage to manufacture miniatures, in silver, of the tools and implements they used in everyday life. There must have been a local demand for these miniatures from local people who could afford to buy them.

In the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, there is an excellent example of Dutch doll’s house silver, especially in the Lady Henriques collection (see below, Figures 107 and 108, p. 106). This is in contrast to the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, which has very few tea drinking toys, and whose silver toys tend to be larger. These were undoubtedly meant as playthings for children, or glass cabinet display toys, which were not to be played with.