These silver dishes made by British silversmiths are copies of the Armada service. The originals are in the British Museum. The Spanish Armada of 1588 was the failed attempt to invade England. It’s thought that the Armada service was made from the silver captured by Spanish treasure ships captured at that time. There is a suggested connection with the capture of the Portuguese ship captured by the English around 1590 when Sir Walter Raleigh was in the Admiralty. His acquisition of the dishes at this time may have represented the profits of his office.
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