A Silver Salver

richardandtracy

Last summer my wife & I went on holiday to Suffolk, and while there we visited the great house of Ickworth (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/ickworth-estate, map https://www.google.com/maps/place/National+Trust+-+Ickworth/@52.2204554,0.654351,672m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x47d84e67cf7cf937:0xd72df50c1fa7f540!8m2!3d52.2204521!4d0.6569313!16zL20vMDVsMTlo?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) once owned by the Hervey Family (various Earls of Bristol). The house itself is now a hotel, but the central rotunda and the west wing (which was originally empty but built for symmetry) are open to visitors.

In the late 1700's and early 1800's the house was one of the social centres of the country, and the hugely wealthy family amassed a vast amount of family silver - approaching 500kg/1100lb. Most of the silver was in exquisitely decorated form. As the family fortunes fell, the silver was dispersed and eventually the family gifted half the building to the National Trust. The National Trust has tried to return a small part of the silver collection back to the house, and what is there is stored in the rotunda.

I was amazed and inspired by the silver that is left, the workmanship is stunning and the beauty of the pieces is incredible. I decided to model a piece inspired by what I saw. The original is a silver salver with the Hervey family crest, however, for obvious reasons I couldn't reproduce that. Instead, I put a Stag motif on the salver - something that is fairly common in the rest of the collection that remains.

So, please find attached a little model of a silver salver. The top has a stag motif, and the base has a simulated sterling silver hallmark both applied as normal maps. Uses that DAZ Uber shader and the 'Polished Iron' settings. It's about 10" long and 1" high. Doesn't do anything apart from look nice, and would go quite well with LaurieS' Victorian Decor for keys, loose cash or little folded notes. 

I hope you like it.

Regards,

Richard

Faeryl Womyn

That looks gorgeous and thanks for the history of the place.

wsterdan

Very nicely done! Thanks for the background as well, always enjoyable reading and it gives the piece so much more meaning, a definite value-add.

richardandtracy

My pleasure. It's nice every now and again just to do something you like just for fun. That's what this was. Regards, Richard.