COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 43, NO. 20 FRIDAY MAY 18, 2012
Silver As Storyteller - Four Centuries In New York his year, in Benjamin Wynkoop (1675-1751), New York City, Brandywine bowl (brandewithe phrase, “If jnkom), circa 1700. Silver. Newthese walls could York Historical Society, Bequest talk…” might well be of Catharine Augusta De Peyster. bowls are traditionally replaced with some- Brandywine associated with the Dutch New York thing like, “These can- ritual of the kindermaal, a celebratory dlesticks can talk…” feast held in honor of a mother and her T h r o u g h newborn child within ten days of the birth. September 2, the New- The guests, predominantly female, feasted on York Historical sweet cakes and communally sipped a potent brew Society is presenting of brandy and raisins from a bowl such as this. an exhibition highMirrer, lighting the histories President and CEO of the Newof one hundred and York Historical Society. “This fifty notable examexhibition is more than a display of ples of silver from objects - it is an exploration of four its collection. centuries of New York culture Linked to signifithrough the lens of silver objects, cant moments in the appealing to scholars and enthusihistory of New York asts of silver, material culture, and and the United New York history alike.” States, the remarkStories in Sterling is able objects in comprised of seven “Stories in Sterling: sections. Four Centuries of Silver in New York” range from domes“Converging tic family heirlooms Cultures in to acknowledged Colonial New touchstones in the York” explores evolution of how immigrant American silversilversmiths, smithing. The diveralong with silver sity of stories speak brought by to themes that émigrés from include individual their native accomplishment, William H. Powell (1823-1879), Charles Lewis c o u n t r i e s , Tiffany (1812-1902), 1840. Oil on canvas. New-York family pride, silver Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Comfort Tiffany i n f l u e n c e d consumption pat- Gilder. Charles L. Tiffany founded the famous sil- New York’s terns, technological ver and jewelry firm Tiffany & Co. in 1837. The vibrant craft progress and inno- business began as a small stationery and gift shop, c o m m u n i t y . vation, rituals of Tiffany and Young. This portrait depicts the young H i g h l i g h t s presentation, and entrepreneur in 1840, before his firm became a include the silthe commemoration major retailer of fine silver. ver seal of Peter Stuyvesant and of great events in pieces made by New York’s peace and war. first Jewish silverThese compelling smith, Myer Myers. objects are interpreted An outstanding within a cultural conexample in this text, focusing on the section is a circa Tiffany & Co. (founded 1700 Brandywine 1837), Ice cream dish, 1877bowl by Benjamin 1878. Silver. New-York Historical Wynkoop. No silver form Society, Gift of Mr. John Mackay. better embodies the perEmbodying the extravagant petuation of Dutch excess of the Gilded Age, treatradition and fashion this exotic ice cream dish sure of in New York than the was part of a 1,250-piece dinner service commissioned from Tiffany & Co. by the New- brandywine bowl (or bran“silver king” John W. Mackay (1831-1902) for his wife, Y o r k dewjnkom) a distinctive decorative Marie Louise Hungerford Mackay (1843-1928). Historical vessel favored by elite families of Society - Dutch descent. The bowls are assomen and women that made, used, with a wider audience through ciated with the Dutch ritual of the and treasured them. Featured Stories in Sterling,” stated Louise kindermaal, a celebratory feast objects span four centuries: from a Dutch silver beaker made for a member of the Van Rensselaer family in 1598, to a Hanukkah lamp crafted in a Bronx, New York, workshop in 1999. The exhibition is enriched by a selection of paintings, prints, photographs, manuscripts, furniture, and other items that illuminate the silver, bring to life the individuals who acquired it, and illustrate the physical context in which it was used. “We’re thrilled to be able to share our silver collection - a true
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John Hastier (1691-1770), Teaspoon, circa 1720-1740. Silver. New-York Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Thomas K. Gale, 1932.117; New-York Gazette or Weekly Post-Boy, May 8, 1758. Countless silver objects made in New York City bear witness to the unacknowledged labor of slaves. As indicated by a May 1758 runaway advertisement, the silversmith who marked this spoon owned a slave named Jasper who assisted in his shop.
held in honor of a mother and her newborn child, typicall y held within 10 days of the birth. The guests, predominantly female, feasted on sweet cakes and communally sipped a potent brew of brandy and raisins from these bowls. Early initials on the brandywine bowl that is included in “Converging Cultures,” indicate that Benjamin Wynkoop, created the bowl for New York City merchant Cornelis De Peyster (1673-1749) and his wife Maria Bancker (1675-1710). Cornelis and Maria had seven children and it’s probable that the bowl was made for the celebration of one them. JacquesNicolas Roettiers (1736-1788), Coffeepot, 1775-1776. Silver. NewYork Historical Society, Gift of Mr. Goodhue Livingston. Originally purchased by New York’s Gouverneur Morris during his time in France as the United States minister, this late eighteenth-century coffeepot was sold to Robert R. Livingston, a fellow Francophile and a successor as minister to France.
“From Craft to Industry” examines the shifts in practices - from the small shop tradition to partial outsourcing of work, and finally to industrialized production, including silverplating - that characterized the development of American silver between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. One of the featured pieces is a circa 1850 pitcher marked Ti ff a n y, Young & Ellis (active 1841-1853.) As one of New York’s earliest luxury retailers, Tiffany, Young & Ellis offered their patrons a wide assortment of stylish table silver. The water pitcher featured in the current show is an example of the firm’s Asian-inspired silver, sold beginning about 1850, a time of enormous change for both Tiffany, Young & Ellis and New York’s silver industry. Tiffany & Co. was founded in 1837 as Tiffany & Young by two Connecticut natives, Charles L. Tiffany and John B. Young. When the emporium opened at Broadway and Warren Street in Lower Manhattan, Tiffany & Young was an upscale purveyor
of fancy goods largely imported from Europe and the Far East. After the addition of a third partner, Jabez Lewis Ellis, in 1841,
Tiffany & Co. (founded 1837), Controller handle, 1904. Silver, steel, ebony. New-York Historical Society, Gift of George B. McClellan. Embodying the pride and exhilaration surrounding the completion of New York City’s first subway system, this controller handle was used by Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. (1865-1940) to operate the first subway train on its maiden voyage on October 27, 1904.
the retailer expanded north into a larger store at Broadway and Chambers Street and by 1850 had acquired a jewelry manufactory. American silver sold by Tiffany, Young & Ellis was manufactured by several notable New York silversmiths, including the firms of Grosjean & Woodward, Wood & Hughes, and John C. Moore. “Honoring Achievement” explores the time-honored tradition of awarding accomplishments with the presentation of a silver object through some of the most spectacular pieces in the New-York Historical Society’s collection, including the massive dinner service presented by the merchants of New York to Commodore Matthew Perry after he opened trade with Japan in 1854. “Rites of Passage” includes more private presenBlack, Starr & Frost (active 1874-1929), Aeronautical trophy, 1907. Silver, wood. New-York Historical Society, Bequest of Alan R. Hawley. In 1910, champion balloonist Alan R. Hawley (1869-1938) won this magnificent trophy, the Lahm Aeronautical Cup, for his record-breaking flight from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicoutimi County in Quebec. At a distance of 1,172.9 miles, the two-day flight was the longest balloon trip undertaken in United States history.
tations, those that honor birth, marriage, death, or represent exchanges between individuals, such as funeral rings and spoons given to the mourners of the deceased. “Drinking in Style” investigates silver used for drinking alcoholic beverages, from tankards and mugs to punch bowls and hip flasks. “The Rituals of Tea and Coffee” explores the surging popularity of these beverages in early New York and reveals how ownership and proper usage of silver tea and coffee wares served as an index of social refinement. (Continued on page 2)