Teapot
Maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
(American, founded 1831)
Datec. 1880
MediumSterling silver, ivory
DimensionsOverall: 7 1/4 x 8 1/4in. (18.4 x 21cm)
ClassificationsCONTAINERS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number95.15
DescriptionSilver and parrcel-gilt teapot with handle and hinged domed lid. Bowed cylindrical form with two gilt bands with floral motifs, both within gilt reeded borders. Band near base with applied sunflower motif; band on shoulder with sunflower and undulating foliage. Frosted spout with gilt bands. Body is overall stippled to look hand-hammered. Ivory insulators.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextSilver items were status symbols that represented the owner's ability to purchase luxury goods in the latest vogue. This teapot is a fashionable example of Aesthetic-style silver produced in America. The application of stylized, two-dimensional sunflowers and the angularity of the spout characterize the influence of Japanese design on this fashion. The patterned surface, which is meant to imitate handwork, is also typical of a silver object produced in this vogue.
The Aesthetic movement had numerous permutations ranging from Gothic to Japanese to simplified floral patterns. Other examples of decorative arts created during this period are on view in the gallery: the faux bamboo dressing table, a richly upholstered chair, and the desk made by Kimbel and Cabus.
