Paul de Lamerie
('s-Hertogenbosch 1688 - 1751 London)
Described by the Victoria and Albert museum as “the greatest silversmith working in England in the 18th Century”, Paul de Lamerie was celebrated for his technical virtuosity and for his exceptional creativity.
His parents were Huguenots, French Protestants who left France to avoid persecution before moving to the Netherlands and finally settling in London in 1691.
After spending a few years as an apprentice in the London workshop of the goldsmith Pierre Platel, Lamerie opened his own workshop in 1712 and in 1716 was appointed Goldsmith to the King. By 1730s he was one of the first English silversmith to introduce the ornate Rococo style in England.
His crafts were highly regarded not just among British aristocracy but in the rest of Europe as well and in particular in Russia where he received commissions from Peter the Great.
His style was copied for generations after his death and nowadays his artworks are part of prestigious collections in museums such as the Victoria and Albert in London, the Metropolitan or the J. Paul Getty Museum.