Newcastle circa 1685 by William Ramsey I (free. 1656, d.1698)
An extremely rare James II provincial silver tankard

Of tapering cylindrical form with moulded rims, the hinged stepped lid raised by a sand cast twin corkscrew thumbpiece, the lid with a shaped apron front. The C scroll handle engraved with near contemporaneous initials * S * over T * I in Roman script. Marked to the right of the handle with ram’s head couped with horns either side, town mark in a shaped punch, and maker’s mark WR in a shaped punch. The lid marked in front of finial with the same.

Height – 15.8 cm / 6.15 inches

Weight – 666 grams / 21.41 ozt

William Ramsey I was the most prolific of all the late 17^th century Newcastle silversmiths. While spoons survive in appreciable quantities, holloware is of distinct rarity and preciousness. The mark on this tankard of a ram’s head with horn either side is presently unrecorded elsewhere in the published literature on Newcastle silver, the closest comparison, and with the town mark and maker’s mark the same as on this example, is the common cup in St. Nicholas Church, Newcastle. This mark, partially surviving, shows the horns to the right of the ram’s head couped in the same punch shape. These are illustrated Margaret Gill, Directory of Newcastle Goldsmiths (1980), p. 199. Evidently there was a quick system of change for Ramsey’s marks in the middle of the 1680’s as a differing punch is illustrated for the Rose Castle flagon of 1684, and the flagon of 1686 also in St. Nicholas church.

A tankard of circa 1670-1680 by the same maker was sold these rooms, 26 Feb 2025, lot 499 (£9450 incl. prem)

A Ramsey peg tankard is in the V&A collection (M.180-1938).

also with the same maker’s mark and town mark is a Chinoiserie flat chased porringer of the 1680’s held in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle (TWCMS : B629)

Another early example of Ramsey’s work is a gilt porringer engraved with a date of 1669, within the same collection (TWCMS : K1119), The Sawley Flagon dated to 1670 (TWCMS : B2369), and a mug (TWCMS : B2381).

A chocolate pot, one of only two recorded from Newcastle, by Ramsey circa 1690 was sold Christie’s New York, 23 Oct 2000, lot 279 ($49,350 incl. prem)

A tumbler cup by Ramsey was sold Tennants, 22 July 2011, lot 392 (£4500 hammer)

A tankard of circa 1660 by John Wilkinson I was sold Bonham’s New Bond Street, 21 Nov 2018, lot 140 (£20,000 incl. prem)