Splendid Silver
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VERANDA, November/December 2011-- Lisa Newsom admires this precious metal's brilliant beauty.
Paul Storr George III Silver Soup Tureen. Hallmarked London, 1799
From birth to marriage and anniversaries, silver symbolizes momentous occasions in our lives. Highly durable, the metal is primarily used in industry, but it's silver's decorative properties that make it so popular for tableware, jewelry, mirrors, and furniture. The history of ornamentation is dominated by silver. At the Palazzo Pitti's Silver Museum in Florence, twenty-five rooms are devoted to silver and other treasures, drawn mostly from the Medici collection. In this country, M.S. Rau Antiques, a New Orleans landmark soon celebrating its hundredth birthday, has an impressive inventory by silversmiths such as Paul Revere, Paul Storr, Hester Bateman, and Paul de Lamerie. Silver, one of the earth's gifts, and its shimmery gray hue continue to inspire new generations of design talent.