Provincial silver packs a £17,000 punch
This rare Irish provincial silver punch strainer took £14,000 at Lawrences’ latest sale in Crewkerne. Dated to c.1740-60, it is struck twice for Joseph Johns, one of only a handful of silversmiths working in Limerick in the middle of the 18th century.
Strainers like this one, measuring a substantial 11in (28cm) across, were made to span the rim of a …