All that glitters

Four centuries of Irish gold and silver craftmanship go on display this month in Cork. Brian O'Connell talks to silversmith Chris Carroll who has worked on everything from gold teeth to a solid gold palate

The only give away is the security cameras. Tucked between Douglas Street and George's Quay, up a winding stairs and past two security doors, silversmith Chris Carroll is locked away for ten hours a day – a tradition that extends back over 100 years.

One of the few remaining traditional silversmith workshops in the country, a beat-up old gas heater and a dart board are the only indicators of modernity in Carroll's workshop in Cork.

Over the years, Carroll has worked on everything from gold teeth to tiaras – if a cloud needed its silver lining modified, Carroll would surely get the gig. At present though, he is busy putting the finishing touches to his contribution to the largest ever exhibition of silver and gold to be held in Ireland.

Entitled AIRGEADÓIR, the exhibition, which is made possible by Cork 2005, opens at the Crawford Art Gallery next month and spans four centuries of Irish workmanship ranging from large soup tureens to tiny spoons. The work includes magnificently chased or plain coffee and tea pots, trays, nutcrackers, asparagus tongs, tankards, sugar bowls, salvers, mugs, beakers, tea caddies, sauceboats and mustard pots in a profusion of shapes and styles. The different styles reflect progress from plain, well-fashioned items of elegance in the 1600s and early 1700s, sometimes enlivened by immigrant Huguenot influences, through the exuberant rococo style of the middle of the century, which in its turn gave way to the neoclassical style of the period 1785-1815.

Work by some 50 or so different silversmiths will be on show, including Hercules Beere of Youghal (c1665), William Clarke of Cork (c1730), William Newenham of Cork (c.1730), George Hodder of Cork, (c.1750), Joseph and William Wall of Kinsale (c.1700), William Reynolds of Cork (c.1770), Robert Armstrong of Kinsale (c.1750), Carden Terry and Jane Williams. Many of the makers represented in the exhibition are extremely rare and very little of their work survives. But the presence of Republican Cork Silver should be one of the main drawing points. Produced by William Egan and Sons in 1922, the silver's high value stems from the fact that during the Irish Civil War, Cork was isolated from Dublin and silver couldn't be sent outside the city to be assayed. It therefore carries its own unique hallmark.

During his lifetime, Chris Carroll has only come across four examples of Republican Silver which have been left into his workshop for restoration and is genuinely excited about this aspect of the exhibition.

"I've worked on chalices that have been in service since the 1600s and well-known items such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup have been renovated here, but it's always special when Republican Silver turns up.

"It's probably one of the most famous types of silver in the world and I've been fortunate enough to have worked on three pieces of it in my lifetime.

"A bowl of this type would go for somewhere between €15-20,000, whereas a normal silver bowl of the same era would fetch about €2,000.

"The only other piece I can remember which was comparable in value was a chalice we received in 1984, which was handed in by the Christian Brothers in a plastic bag . I think it had been used in the missions in Africa for many years. Straight away, my father recognised the value of the piece. It was studded with diamonds, rubies, emerald and sapphires and was made of solid 18 carat gold. I wouldn't like to say how much it was worth – it was an extremely valuable piece."

From the sublime to the ridiculous, Carroll has also had to work on some unusual and at times quite disturbing items.

"I remember once a member of a deceased person's family asking us to melt down a solid gold palate, which had been on the roof of someone's mouth when they died. I think they wanted us to make a brooch out of it. I couldn't touch it and I had to get one of the lads to work on it.

"We also get gold teeth from time to time. One of the strangest occasions was when someone came into us with a dent in their voice box. So while they waited we repaired the dent, which wasn't a problem as we repair musical instruments quite a lot. Once finished, the man popped it back into his throat and off he went!"

?More AIRGEADÓIR – Four Centuries of Cork Silver and Gold, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. April 16 – June 4. www.crawfordartgallery.ie