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Item: Silver Toy Description: Miniature Chair Hallmark: London circa 1690 by George Manjoy Dimensions: 88mm high, 47mm wide; 31g weight Comments: This is an extremely rare miniature William & Mary period silver toy chair dating from the last decade of the 17th century. The term "toy" included any knick-knack or fashionable trinket for adults, as well as a child’s plaything. Silver toys like this one copied the exact details and proportions of normal sized pieces Because they were light and small, silver toys are not fully hallmarked. The form of the maker's mark helps to date them and in this case the Old Standard mark of George Manjoy (i.e. pre-1697) and the form of the chair, helps to accurately date the piece. George Manjoy was a specialist silver toy maker and was at the vanguard of the fashionable period of production of such wares (c.1680-1730). The seat and back of the chair is decorated to simulate the inter-weaved strips of split ratan cane that was popular on English chairs of the period 1660-1695. The decoration to the arms, back and front stretcher represent intricate carving and are typical of the period 1685-95. Miniature chairs of this period are extremely rare and this one has similarities with the Lord & Lady Clapham miniature wooden doll's chairs (c.1690-1700) in the V&A collection. This chair is in excellent condition with a clear example of the "GM" maker's mark.
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