Paul Crespin

(b London, 1694; d Southampton, 25 Jan 1770). English goldsmith. He was the son of French Huguenot refugees who had settled in England in 1687. Apprenticed in June 1713 to Jean Pons, he entered his first marks between July 1720 and December 1721 and established a workshop in Old Compton Street, Soho, London, close to that of NICHOLAS SPRIMONT. During the 1720s Crespin's reputation grew rapidly, and he attracted a number of commissions from the Portuguese court. An early example of his chasing skill can be seen on a cruet stand (1721; Colonial Williamsburg, VA), the rim of which is decorated with hunting scenes. Although brought up in England, he corresponded with clients in French and was aware of, and responsive to, stylistic developments in France. The silver gilt ice buckets (1732; Blenheim Pal., Oxon), for example, which he made for Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (1706-58), relate closely to a Parisian engraving published in the 1720s. He maintained a high standard of workmanship and was an innovative designer, one of the few English goldsmiths to adopt the Rococo manner as early as the mid-1730s. His clients included Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, and many English aristocratic families to whom he supplied table services, ornate centrepieces, two-handled cups, tureens, candlesticks and such smaller items as spice-boxes. Among the most remarkable of these items are the tureen and salver (1741; Toledo, OH, Mus. A.) made for Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, executed at the peak of his career. The tureen is majestically supported on the backs of two goats amid a profusion of fruits. Crespin may have collaborated with Sprimont on a silver gilt centrepiece made for Frederick, Prince of Wales (1741; London, Brit. Royal Col., Buckingham Palace). He retired in 1759 and moved to Southampton.

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