Because of the limited number of silversmiths in Deventer, very little silver has survived from the city, particularly in comparison with centres such as Amsterdam or The Hague. What remains is a sparse, fragmentary chapter in the history of Dutch silversmithing, to which these pieces belong.

Silversmithing in Deventer

As a Hanseatic city and trading hub, Deventer played an important regional role. The city's silversmiths made objects for churches, authorities, guilds and citizens across Overijssel and Gelderland. The local guild exercised strict supervision. Thanks to a specific assay system with three silver standards (Spanish real silver, rixdollar silver and king's dollar silver), town marks and date letters, the silver can still be dated and traced with precision today.

Johannes Hallegraaf: Forty Years of Craftsmanship

Six pieces in this collection were made by Johannes Hallegraaf (active 1722–1775), one of Deventer's most prolific master silversmiths. The pieces brought together here, ranging from a tobacco box to a serving spoon, span more than forty years of his career and show his stylistic development. The earliest piece is a tea caddy from 1729, decorated using the costly cut-card technique and, like the set of candlesticks, executed in the stately Louis XIV style. In the tobacco jar of 1753, the transition to the more fluid Rococo is already visible, while a set comprising a teapot and matching tea caddy from 1764 embodies the refined tea culture of the eighteenth century. That such a set has remained together is remarkable.

Hallegraaf's life was closely bound up with his trade: he married first Sara Beeldemaker (the daughter of a Zwolle silversmith) and then Catharina van Diepen. Three of his daughters married silversmiths, and a fourth continued the workshop for several years after his death in 1775.

Lambertus Krop

The collection also includes one of the two silver windmill cups known from Deventer. Lambertus Krop, who was active from around 1710, made this example in 1753. Krop, the son of a sculptor, was probably trained by his neighbours, the Deventer silversmiths Lucas Luicksen and Magnus Lucassen. He regularly carried out prestigious commissions for the city council and was known for his versatility and his large-scale silverwork.

A Fine Collection

That eight high-quality pieces of silver from the same city, largely by the same master, have been preserved together is of great historical value. For connoisseurs and enthusiasts, this collection offers an exceptional opportunity to study fine Deventer silversmithing and to add pieces to their own collections.