( fl London, 1672–1722). English goldsmith. In 1672 he became an apprentice to Richard Rowley and in 1679 a freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, London. In 1685 Nelme was recorded as a goldsmith at the Golden Bottle, Amen Corner, London, and in 1691 he opened another shop in Foster Lane. He was one of the most successful native English goldsmiths of the late 17th century and the early 18th and evidently ran a large workshop, producing a great variety of silverware ranging from such elaborate, ceremonial pieces as maces and pilgrim bottles to domestic and ecclesiastical wares. His earliest works are in the Restoration style prevalent from the 1660s (e.g. altar candlesticks, 1694; Windsor Castle, Berks, Royal Col.). Although his signature appears on a petition (1697; London, Goldsmiths’ Co.) against admitting foreign goldsmiths to the freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company, much of his work from the beginning of the 18th century reflects Huguenot influence (e.g. pilgrim bottles, 1715; Chatsworth, Derbys). This indicates that he may have employed immigrant journeymen or purchased their work and overstruck it with his own mark. His best-known works, however, are the domestic wares in the austere Queen Anne style, characterized by simple, geometric forms often devoid of decoration, except for an engraved coat of arms (e.g. octagonal hot-water jug, 1713; Oxford, Ashmolean). His son Francis Nelme ( fl 1719–39) became his partner in 1721 and took over the business in 1722.

• Nelme, Anthony
  • works
    • Caddinet
    • England, §IX, 1(iii)(b): Gold and silver, 1661–1729: Form and decoration
    • Huguenots, §2(ii): Work and influence in England