NEW YORK CITY --"The Huguenot Legacy," on view through August 18, is curated by Christopher Hartop, senior vice president of Christie's, and is drawn from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman. Included in the show are examples from ambassadorial services, court dining rooms, salons and boudoirs. The presentation, organized by Exhibitions International (N.Y.), offers visitors an opportunity to view rare examples from the most important private collections of its type.

Huguenot silversmiths working in London during the late Seventeenth through the mid-Eighteenth Centuries produced some of the most magnificent domestic silver ever created. "The Huguenot Legacy" documents the growing importance of silver for domestic and state settings of the period, the rise of silver as a powerful symbol of personal and sovereign status, and the creation of new forms that are still in use today Ī all of which are inextricably linked to the communication of ideas and skills brought to England by French Huguenot designers and craftsmen who had emigrated to escape religious persecution.

Highlights of the exhibition include objects for domestic and court table settings by Paul de Lamerie and Paul Crespin; an important soup tureen by Thomas Heming; an arrangement of eight pairs of candlesticks from the 1690s to the 1750s tracing styles; prints and books by Huguenot designers Daniel Marot, Jean Tijou and Simon Gribelin; and superb examples of high rococo silver design, fully sculpted and richly ornamented with naturalistic and fantastic motifs.

The Huguenot Legacy

Architectural historian Nicklaus Pevsner once observed that English artistic expression continually absorbed overseas influences. During the second half of the Sixteenth Century, waves of refugees escaping religious wars on the continent poured into England, but the most dramatic influx was the late Seventeenth Century emigration of French Protestants, known as the Huguenots. As a result of Louis XIV's reversal of the Edict of Nantes, which had protected Huguenot freedom of worship, a massive wave of immigration landed these French Protestants in northern Europe, and even farther afield, in South Africa and America.

Many were skilled artisans and designers who had worked in the studios of the French courts and who brought the latest French designs to their adopted lands. The interaction of the Huguenot silversmiths with native English craftsmen and other immigrant designers was a catalyst for innovations in style and technical change during this important period in the history of the British empire and the production of silver.

The Eighteenth Century was an especially dynamic time for silver production in the west, with increasing quantities of newly mined silver reaching Europe through trade with the New World. The release of church-held silver during the Reformation provided massive amounts of metal that could be reworked.

Silver was transformed into elaborate display pieces at the courts of European kings and gained heightened status as a symbol of power. With the growing prosperity of the British empire throughout the century, the market for expensive silver objects expanded to include many domestic articles for well-to-do homes. As their British patrons enthusiastically followed and embraced French fashion of the period, Huguenot silversmiths enjoyed a pivotal position in the design of English silver.

Silver and the State

Ambassadors of the English crown and other officers of state were customarily provided with domestic silver by the Jewel House, an office of the Royal Household. These grand state services, fashioned by the most talented designers and silversmiths of the time, were meant to reflect the power and wealth of the British crown, and were elaborately decorated with coats of arms and lavish gilded surfaces. A highlight in the show is a pair of gilded silver sugar casters from a 1728 dessert service by Crespin, engraved with the royal arms of King George II and originally owned by Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, who was appointed ambassador to The Hague in 1727.

Silver for Tea, Coffee and Chocolate

Tea, coffee and chocolate were all introduced into Europe in the Seventeenth Century. The taste for these caffeine-laden drinks, widely popularized by 1700, necessitated the invention of new vessels for their brewing, serving and drinking. The setting of the English tea table with kettles, teapots, tea caddies, sugar bowls, creamers, strainers, and other elaborate accouterments, came into being during this period. Highlights include a salver, or stand for a kettle, by de Lamerie with cast and chased rococo ornament portraying a lion mask and paw feet; a teapot by Crespin with cast shell decoration and a serpent spout; a pair of tea caddies and matching sugar box by de Lamerie with cast and chased Chinese figures, scrolls, shells, lion masks and foliage.

Silver for the Dining Table

New foods and cuisine introduced during the early Eighteenth Century inspired the creation of many types of plates and vessels for English banqueting halls. Ragouts and soups adopted from French court dining inspired the creation of grand silver tureens. Innovative boat-shaped pouring vessels were designed for newly fashionable sauces. Some of the most highly ornate and fanciful silver objects from this period were made for the table. Highlights include a soup tureen by Heming in the chinoiserie style with handles shaped like dragons; a pair of sauce boats by de Lamerie, embellished with lion masks, feet shaped like seashells and handles in the form of cherubs.

Silver for Boudoir and Salon

Silver adorned well-to-do London homes in the late Seventeenth and early Eighteenth Centuries and was used for an increasing array of household articles including candle holders, toilet services, boxes, bottles, jars, trays, ewers, basins and baskets, among others. Highlights include a large gilded toilet service from 1750 containing scent bottles, glove trays and a mirror; a pair of candlesticks from the silversmithy of John White, possibly made by de Lamerie around 1737 and based closely on the published designs of Jean Berain.

This section of the exhibition also features printed designs from the collections of Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum that were important sources for the transmission of French styles. Prints and books by Huguenot designers Marot, Tijou and Gribelin are on view, along with works that trace the newest developments in this period such as a "time-line" of candlesticks ranging from the 1690s to the 1750s.

The Huguenot Legacy: English Silver 1680-1760, a 400-page, illustrated catalogue was written by Hartop and published by Thomas Henedage & Co, Ltd, London. It is available in the museum's shop and costs $90 hardcover; $75 softcover.

Culinary historian Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, author of Savoring the Past: The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789, discusses this era and its impact on the customs, habits and tastes of today. This lecture takes place on Wednesday, May 26, at 6:30 pm at the museum. Fees are $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers, and $5 for students. To register, the public may call 212/849-8380, or 212/849-8386 (TTY).

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, is at 2 East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue in New York City. Hours are Tuesday, 10 am to 9 pm; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, noon to 5 pm. The museum is closed Mondays. Telephone 212/849-8400.