Dutch silver two-handle Louis XV basket

A spectacular contribution to 18th-century silver is the bread basket. English bread baskets are nearly always circular and equipped with a handle, the so-called “swing handle baskets”. Outside England, however, bread baskets are extremely rare.

This elegant bread basket is a fine example of Amsterdam Rococo silver. The playful contours and the shape of the handles are typical for Amsterdam baskets. The exuberant naturalistic flowers and leaves, finely sawn and engraved, are characteristic of the work of Hermanus Heuvel. Heuvel must have been a particular lover of flowers and plants, as such ornamentation is often found on his products, richly executed, but never overwhelming.

The knowledge that such baskets were intended for bread derives from an unexpected source. The Evangelical Lutheran church in Amsterdam ordered a basket from the Holy Sacrament specialist, Reinier Brandt, that was referred to specifically as a bread basket.

Fortunately, many fine bread baskets have survived. The Dutch Republic was still the richest country in the world during the 18th century, with a remarkably large and financially affluent middle class. Silver objects could be regarded as money poured into form and could always be exchanged for coin. In years of prosperity, wealthy citizens spent lavishly on the decoration of their homes and tables with silver.

Literature:

Antiek, vol. 11, nr. 1, juni/juli 1976, p. 90, advertentie van Ravenstein, Haarlem voor een paar kandelaars van H. Heuvel, eveneens uit 1772.