ANTIQUES Roadshow expert Ian Pickford will be giving a lecture on Tudor Domestic Silver in west Dorset.

Ian will deliver The Arts Society (West Dorset) monthly lecture at Highlands End Leisure Centre in Eype on Wednesday January 17 at 2.30pm.

This illustrated lecture gives an overview of the important developments in English domestic silver during the Tudor period. It traces the impact that the extraordinary events of the Renaissance, the Reformation, Exploration and New Wealth had on silver. First, the arrival of Renaissance art and its merging with late gothic forms; secondly, the Reformation, which provided not only a huge amount of work to the goldsmiths of the day, but also a great quantity of recycled materials; thirdly the new wealth which significantly increased the domestic market and lastly, exploration, which introduced sea monsters and other marine creatures.

Six years after Ian joined the silver trade, he became lecturer for the Universities of London and

Surrey and also for the National Trust. His writings include the now standard reference book

on silver flatware. In the 1980s he was made a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of

Goldsmiths and of the City of London.

The lecture is free for members of the Arts Society West Dorset and £7.50 for non-members. It's 2pm for a 2.30pm start.