george wilson
03-27-2009, 10:22 PM
When Queen Elizabeth visited the states not too long ago,she visited Col.Williamsburg and William and Mary College. I was asked to work on gifts for both visits,but did not take pictures of the college's gift,which I made the box for.
The gift here was a saffron pot,that the silversmiths made,and a chest I was asked to make to hold it.The saffron pot was only about the size of an orange. Saffron tea was a very expensive drink made from saffron and sugar. Thus,it was served in very small cups.The original pot is in Williamsburg's collections.
This chest holds the pot exactly without any shake when it is closed. It is made of English walnut,which is so nice to work. It has very small pores,and is not as brittle as black walnut. I have used it stained black as a very realistic substitute for ebony,when making bases for an award that Williamsburg gives out about every year: the Churchill Bell award. I was not able to get very large,thick ebony for the bases(2"X10").
I designed the chest so that it falls open in front and on top,fully revealing the saffron pot.
I decided to base the design on William and Mary style. The brass knob on top of the box is a duplicate of the knob on top of the pot,except it is all metal.
I also made the brass "cabbage feet" on the bottom of the chest,as well as the hook,which I made with a little finger tab on it for added elegance. I have made many hooks,and never got around to getting them cast.
The screws in the hinges,and the hook are fire blued and polished,in the manner of the best in period work.
The back corners are tightly dovetailed,and you can see a 1/8" ebony dowell I drilled all the way through the depth of the dovetails. they will never come loose.
It cannot be seen,but the lid has broad bevels,adding to its stacked appearance.
The chest is lined with cotton velvet.There is a round walnut cylinder in the top of the chest,that embraces the knob on the pot wen the lid is lowered.It is hollowed to fit the knob,and lined with velvet.
I cut grooves around all the perimeters of the velvet linings,to press the velvet into,and pressed and glued a silver cord into the grooves,to gracefully terminate the lining.
Like all of these special projects,the decision makers waited till the last minute,and beyond,to decide on a gift.We were working 7 days a week,and evenings to get this done. Regretfully,there wasn't time to get the hardware silver plated.
I think what really makes the pot is the extremely skillful engraving copied from the original by Lynn,our engraver in the silversmith's shop. She is in her 20's.
The gift here was a saffron pot,that the silversmiths made,and a chest I was asked to make to hold it.The saffron pot was only about the size of an orange. Saffron tea was a very expensive drink made from saffron and sugar. Thus,it was served in very small cups.The original pot is in Williamsburg's collections.
This chest holds the pot exactly without any shake when it is closed. It is made of English walnut,which is so nice to work. It has very small pores,and is not as brittle as black walnut. I have used it stained black as a very realistic substitute for ebony,when making bases for an award that Williamsburg gives out about every year: the Churchill Bell award. I was not able to get very large,thick ebony for the bases(2"X10").
I designed the chest so that it falls open in front and on top,fully revealing the saffron pot.
I decided to base the design on William and Mary style. The brass knob on top of the box is a duplicate of the knob on top of the pot,except it is all metal.
I also made the brass "cabbage feet" on the bottom of the chest,as well as the hook,which I made with a little finger tab on it for added elegance. I have made many hooks,and never got around to getting them cast.
The screws in the hinges,and the hook are fire blued and polished,in the manner of the best in period work.
The back corners are tightly dovetailed,and you can see a 1/8" ebony dowell I drilled all the way through the depth of the dovetails. they will never come loose.
It cannot be seen,but the lid has broad bevels,adding to its stacked appearance.
The chest is lined with cotton velvet.There is a round walnut cylinder in the top of the chest,that embraces the knob on the pot wen the lid is lowered.It is hollowed to fit the knob,and lined with velvet.
I cut grooves around all the perimeters of the velvet linings,to press the velvet into,and pressed and glued a silver cord into the grooves,to gracefully terminate the lining.
Like all of these special projects,the decision makers waited till the last minute,and beyond,to decide on a gift.We were working 7 days a week,and evenings to get this done. Regretfully,there wasn't time to get the hardware silver plated.
I think what really makes the pot is the extremely skillful engraving copied from the original by Lynn,our engraver in the silversmith's shop. She is in her 20's.