pewter

An alloy of tin with a relatively small amount of lead and sometimes antimony, copper or brass. In appearance, pewter may either be dull like lead or highly polished like silver.

Pewter was very widely used throughout the Middle Ages and up to about 1850, principally for inexpensive household wares but also for elaborate ritual vessels. Since 1850, the use of pewter has been almost completely replaced by the use of mass-produced china and glass.

In the 20th century, pewter was used mainly for decorative objects, notably the Tudric range produced for Liberty & Co by Archibald Knox.