B. Barns' Mark 
Hall-marks of the Colonial Pewterers 
Thos. Danforth's Mark 
OLD PEWTER 
By EDWIN A. BARBER, A.M., Ph.D. 
CURATOR OF THE PENNSYLVANIA MUSEUM, MEMORIAL HALL, FAIRMOUNT PARK 
A COMPARATIVELY inexpensive sub- 
t\ stitute for silver, in the form of a com¬ 
position, principally of tin, with a varying 
proportion of lead, has been extensively 
employed in many countries, from remote 
times, for the manufacture of household im¬ 
plements. This metal supplanted the earlier 
pottery and was in turn superseded by por¬ 
celain. 
In Japan the use of pewter can be traced 
back to the eighth century, while in China it 
is of even greater antiquity. Down to the 
present time the Chinese have continued to 
work in this metal, but the modern product 
is often of an inferior quality, owing to the 
presence of a greater proportion of lead. 
At the Centennial Exposition, held in 
Philadelphia in 1876, the Chinese Commis¬ 
sion made a display of pewter utensils which 
served to illustrate- the adaptability of this 
homely material to modern art. Among 
these pieces, which are now preserved in the 
Pennsylvania Museum, are a large cylindri¬ 
cal shaped ves¬ 
sel, intended 
as a cover for 
a teapot to 
keep the con¬ 
tents warm. 
It is orna¬ 
mented with 
engraved de¬ 
vices consist¬ 
ing of flowers, 
animals and 
human fi g - 
ures. 'There 
are also an 
octagonal can¬ 
ister covered with gold lacquer, surmounted 
by a figure of a lion, and a large tray stand¬ 
ing on feet, the upper surface of which is 
entirely covered with decorative work repre¬ 
senting an interior scene, in which a number 
of female musicians are playing on native 
instruments. 
There is in the Dr. Robert H. Lamborn 
collection, in the same museum, a curious 
shrine service, or garniture, of pewter, con¬ 
sisting of a large central incense burner and 
two pairs of side vases or incense recepta¬ 
cles, belonging to the early part of the nine¬ 
teenth century, formerly in the collection of 
Baron von Brandt. The work represents 
the application of European designs to Chi¬ 
nese art, each of the five pieces being sup¬ 
ported bv figures of men in high hats, knee 
breeches, and swallow-tail coats, certain parts 
of the costumes being covered with colored 
lacquer, as, for instance, the hats, which are 
a bright shade of pink. These figures, 
which stand about a foot in height, are well 
A SHRINE SERVICE OR 
Illustrating the introduction of 
GARNITURE OF PEWTER 
European designs to Chinese art 
In the Collection of the Henna. Museum 
executed and 
the material is 
of exc 
: e 11 e n t 
quality 
. 
As early as 
1348 c 
1 Pew- 
terer’s 
Co in- 
pany 
existed 
in L 0 
ndon 
which 
requir- 
ed its 
mem- 
bers to 
stamp 
their 
marks 
upon 
their 
wares, 
but it 
is known that 
IO4 
