The tankard of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries becomes more utilitarian, and more national in character. The body is drum-like in form, and the cover is flat. In order to show how little the form differed from Charles II to William III, the examples illustrated on page 111 prove this point. The earlier example, on the right, is chased with acanthus and palm leaves. The beaded ornament on the handle is a feature in both. Two other specimens are illustrated on page 111, both with the York date letter B for 1684, the year before the death of Charles II. One is made by George Gibson and the other by William Busfield. The taller tankard has a flat two-membered lid, and the other has a flat one-membered lid. In both these examples it is observable that the scroll handles have an extension of no utilitarian value. It is not beautiful nor useful. In comparison with the William III example illustrated on same page, the difference will at once be seen. In these examples a noticeable feature is the moulded base. Gradually the spread foot became of diminished size. It was of no practical use. Later forms show a restraint, almost a poverty of symmetrical design, by the absence of the foot. The form becomes more squat. We are accustomed to it in English plate, but it compares slightly unfavourably with foreign plate, where the balance is more sustained. The massive handle really demands a more solid base. In the York examples, where the finials of the handle trail on the ground, it is especially noticeable. The billets or thumb-pieces are evidently designed for ornament, and follow earlier examples of greater proportions. If they err, they err on the side of strength. In the Exeter example illustrated on page 115, the maker’s mark is ~Ao.~, and the piece also bears the stamped marks of Britannia and the lion’s head erased, denoting the higher standard. The date letter is for 1705. This is typically Queen Anne style, and is a year after Marlborough’s great victory at Blenheim. The scroll handle is massive and the terminal is level with the base. The marks are illustrated at the foot of the page, and can be seen clearly on the body of the piece below the cover. It is an extremely interesting specimen, worthy of the cabinet of the collector. The thumb-piece is in the form of a convoluted scroll resembling the shell-like ornament placed on early salt cellars. It is essentially a metal-worker’s device, but it may be remarked that in salt cellars of faience the same ornament is used. The Lambeth delft salt cellar of the late seventeenth century, illustrated on page 161, indicates this parallel between the potter and the silversmith. [Illustration: QUEEN ANNE TANKARD. With Exeter marks for 1705. Maker’s mark Ao. Including the Higher Standard marks. (Illustrated above.) (_By courtesy of Spencer Cox, Esq._)] [Illustration: GEORGE II MUG. With Exeter marks for 1733 illustrated. GEORGE II TANKARD. With Exeter marks for 1748 (illustrated p. 391).