Paul de Lamerie — Complete Silversmith Guide

Paul de Lamerie is, simply, the greatest silversmith ever to work in England. From his workshop in Windmill Street, off Haymarket, and later Gerrard Street in Soho, he produced — between 1713 and his death in 1751 — a body of work without equal in technical ambition, sculptural invention or sheer rococo brilliance. The Royal Collection, the V&A, the Met, the Hermitage and the Getty all hold major Lamerie pieces. Individual works at auction have made over £1 million. A confirmed Lamerie mark transforms a piece of silver from a precious metal into a museum object.

This guide explains who he was, the structure of his marks across the Britannia and sterling periods, what to look for stylistically, and the very real pitfalls of "Lamerie style" later silver and outright forgeries.

Who Was Paul de Lamerie?

Paul Jacques de Lamerie was born in April 1688 in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, the son of Huguenot refugees who had fled French Catholic persecution. The family came to London in 1689 and settled in Soho's growing Huguenot community. In 1703 the young Paul was apprenticed to the leading London Huguenot silversmith Pierre Platel, in whose workshop he served seven years.

He registered his first mark — for Britannia standard silver — at Goldsmiths' Hall on 5 February 1713, having become a Free silversmith earlier that year. He was twenty-four. By 1717 he was already supplying silver to George I (he was appointed "Goldsmith to the King") and within a decade he was the most sought-after silversmith in London. He died on 1 August 1751 at the height of his powers.

Crucially, Lamerie inherited the Huguenot tradition of cast and chased decoration: the French exiles brought with them a level of sculptural ambition and finish that English silversmiths could not match in the early 18th century. This is the technical foundation of his work.

Paul de Lamerie's Maker's Marks

Lamerie's marks divide into two clear periods reflecting the change of England's compulsory silver standard. Knowing which mark belongs to which period is essential.

Important notes:

• From 1697 to 1720 the higher Britannia standard (.958) was compulsory in England. Lamerie's earliest 18 years of work are Britannia. The town mark on Britannia pieces is a lion's head erased, not the leopard's head, and the standard mark is a seated Britannia, not the lion passant. If your "Lamerie" piece shows a lion passant and leopard's head, it cannot be earlier than 1732.
• The "LA" mark uses the first two letters of Lamerie's surname — a Huguenot convention (initials of the surname rather than initials of forename + surname).
• The shift to "PL" in 1732 reflects the new English convention of using forename + surname initials, not a change of person.

Lamerie's later "PL" maker's mark — used on sterling standard pieces from 1732 to 1751.

The Lamerie Style — What to Look For

Lamerie's career spans three stylistic phases:

1. Early Britannia period (1713–1727) — Restrained Baroque

His earliest work is heavy, sculptural and relatively restrained. Cut-card work (silver applied in flat decorative shapes), gadrooned borders, escutcheons with cast handles, sometimes with applied strapwork. Coffee pots, tankards, casters and salvers from this period are firmly Huguenot baroque rather than rococo.

2. Middle period (1727–1735) — Transitional

The decoration becomes richer. Cast applied decoration grows more elaborate. The first hints of asymmetry and naturalism appear. This is the bridge into mature rococo.

3. Mature rococo (1735–1751) — Lamerie at his peak

This is the body of work for which Lamerie is famous: highly sculptural, asymmetrical, riotously decorated cast and chased silver featuring shells, masks, putti, satyrs, naturalistic flowers, scrolls and S-curves. Borders are not engraved — they are cast in high relief and applied. Spouts on coffee pots become beasts. Handles become snakes. Feet become shells with putti riding them. The technical challenge is enormous — this is silver made by sculptors as much as silversmiths.

Cast and chased rococo decoration — Lamerie's mature style.

What Paul de Lamerie Made

• Wine cisterns, monteiths and ewers — sculptural showpiece commissions for aristocratic dining. Single Lamerie wine coolers have made over £1m at auction.
• Salvers — large, on cast scroll feet, with applied cast borders and engraved armorials.
• Coffee pots and chocolate pots — with cast spouts, applied scrollwork and finely engraved arms.
• Tea kettles on stands — major presentation pieces.
• Soup tureens and entrée dishes — entire dinner services for noble houses.
• Candelabra and candlesticks — cast in heavy gauge with figural elements.
• Centrepieces / epergnes — extravagant cast sculptural objects.
• Royal commissions — for George I, George II and the Russian court (a major Lamerie group remains in St Petersburg).
• Flatware — Hanoverian and shell-back pattern table silver, often armorial.

Almost all of his major work is heavy, large and commissioned. Light "everyday" Lamerie objects (tablespoons, cream jugs, plain salvers) do exist but are far less common than the showpieces.

What Lamerie Silver Is Worth

Genuine confirmed Lamerie sits in a different market from ordinary Georgian silver. As a rough guide based on recent auction results:

• Hanoverian-pattern tablespoon, plain: £400–£900 (well above ordinary maker pricing).
• Salt cellar, octagonal Britannia period: £1,500–£4,000.
• Castor, octagonal Britannia period: £3,000–£8,000.
• Cream jug, helmet form: £4,000–£12,000.
• Plain coffee pot: £15,000–£40,000.
• Salver, fully armorial with applied border: £20,000–£80,000.
• Important rococo coffee pot or kettle on stand: £50,000–£250,000+.
• Important sculptural commission (wine cooler, centrepiece, monteith): £200,000 to over £1 million.

Provenance, condition, original engraving, period erasure (or not) of the cartouche and the importance of the commission all matter enormously. A piece by Lamerie should never be sold on weight or melt — it would be a serious financial mistake.

The "Lamerie Style" Problem and Forgeries

Because Lamerie is so famous and so valuable, the market is full of misattributions and outright fakes. The most common issues:

• "Lamerie style" Victorian and later replicas — large, technically competent rococo silver made in the 19th century with later hallmarks (and frequently spurious "PL" punches added). Always check the full hallmark, not just the maker's punch.
• Re-let-in marks — a genuine Lamerie "PL" cut from a damaged 18th-century piece and soldered into a later silver object. Look for a circular solder ring around the marks and any inconsistency between the marks and the article's date.
• Cast forged marks — a real Lamerie hallmark is sharp, with metal displacement at the punch edges. Cast marks look soft, recessed and even.
• Wrong standard — Britannia "LA" marks on sterling-period style, or "PL" marks on Britannia-standard pieces. Lamerie did not work that way.
• Period replicas by his contemporaries — Edward Wakelin, Frederick Kandler, Paul Crespin all worked in a similar idiom and are sometimes misattributed. These are still extremely valuable in their own right, just not Lamerie prices.

The rule: if a Lamerie piece looks too good to be true, it usually is. Always verify with a specialist before buying or selling.