A William and Mary Toy Miniature Silver Posset-Cup and Cover, by George Manjoy, London, 1691, baluster and with two scrolling handles and curved spout, the pull-off cover with button finial, 6cm wide over handles, 15dwt

Provenance:
Bonhams, London, 13 November 2013, lot 160 (part).

Another posset-cup and cover by the same maker and of the same date, though chased with foliage, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, having been in the collection of Joseph M and Aimee Loeb (63.53.86a,b).

Silver Miniature Toys

The production of miniature silver such as the following three lots began in London around the middle of the 17th century, though the peak of their production came towards the end of the century and into the first decades of the 18th century. There has long been conjecture as to their exact purpose with Victor Houart commenting that the explanation that they were produced to furnish dolls houses is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the doll's house didn't come into common usage in England until the 18th century and in any case they tended to be less luxurious compared to those produced in the Netherlands (V. Houart, Miniature Silver Toys, New York, 1981, pp. 163-164).

What is certain is that the there was a remarkable production of miniature toys at the end of the century, perhaps not coincidentally around the time that William of Orange became King William III of England, perhaps bringing him with him the Dutch interest in miniature silver. Among the most regarded and prolific makers of toys at this time was George Manjoy who made each of the three following lots. He was made free by redemption from the Haberdashers company in June 1685 and went on to enter three marks as a smallworker and was to produce a remarkable array of miniature silver during the course of his career.