The great silver show

A country wedding was an occasion to demonstrate your wealth. This was the time to show off all your silverware. In the 17th and 18th century, silversmiths were found in Coevorden, Hoogeveen and especially Meppel. People living in northern Drenthe would probably place their orders with a silversmith in the city of Groningen. In the 19th century, they also settled in smaller places such as Assen, Emmen, Zuidlaren, Beilen, Dwingeloo and Borger. On market days, wealthy Drenths liked to pay a visit to a silversmith to order something beautiful, such as this rock sugar pot (18), this cream bowl (19), this cream spoon (20), this sugar sprinkle spoon (21) or this brandy bowl (22). 

Berend Dulleman was a founder-member of the silversmiths’ guild in the city of Meppel. He was only 21 when he took over Rijcke Leyenaar's silversmith shop in 1762, where he probably learned the tricks of the trade. In 1770 he made this rock sugar dish (6). You can see that Dulleman was a real craftsman. Business was thriving and he also traded in real estate. When he inherited a substantial sum of money at the age of 54, he retired. His capital then was more than 50,000 Dutch guilders, which would equal about 400,000 euros now.