Zilver Nederland

Dutch silver

Silversmithing can be divided into three object types: corpus work (large objects), small silver (small objects and miniatures) and scoop work (tableware). Traditionally, the silversmith makes corpus work and the goldsmith small silver. They were not tied to the type of metal, but to their tools and techniques and therefore to the size on which they could work.

In the nineteenth century Netherlands there were many very small but specialized silver companies, mainly in large cities such as The Hague, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, but also in Friesland and Schoonhoven. Despite industrialization, only the basic shapes were mass-produced. From the beginning of the twentieth century, silver objects had to become cheaper in order to be attractive to the masses. For more variation, individual elements were mounted on basic shapes, less material was used and design was adapted to be easier to machine. In addition, work was still done by hand. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, independent artists became more involved in the design of series for factories. The Netherlands resisted historical styles by working in an ornamental (based on the international Art Nouveau) and constructive style (with emphasis on form and construction).