The Clark Art Institute holds one of the finest and largest collections of English silver outside of England, including many masterpieces of the silversmith's art. The collection was begun in the 1910s by Robert Sterling Clark, one of the heirs to the Singer sewing-machine fortune, who bought both luxury items by prominent makers and domestic wares, many of which had been owned by the most celebrated patrons of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

All eventually formed part of the gift establishing the Institute forty years later. The collection has continued to grow, guided by Clark's preferences.

This publication catalogues every object in the collection, from the early sixteenth to the mid-twentieth century, including seventy-six pieces by Paul de Lamerie and many more by other great Huguenot masters. Departing from traditional stylistic organization, it is arranged by use, encouraging comparisons and presenting each form in social context. Chapters are devoted to Beer, Wine, and Punch; Dining; Coffee, Chocolate, and Tea; Lighting; and Toilet and Desk.

Detailed entries about some 850 objects provide marks, inscriptions, heraldry, description/construction/condition, comments, provenance, exhibition and publication history; full and fascinating attention is given to altered and spurious pieces. All are illustrated in rich duotone, often with details of decoration, marks, coats of arms, etc.