Coffeepot
Maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
(American, founded 1831)
Date1882
MediumPatinated copper, silver, silvergilt
DimensionsOverall: 13 x 6in. (33 x 15.2cm)
ClassificationsCULINARY ARTIFACTS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase by exchange, in part with funds from Mrs. John W. Calder, Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Owens, Mrs. David Bryant, and Mrs. William Swackhamer.
Object number2003.28
DescriptionPatinated copper Turkish coffeepot with silver handle with ivory insulators and hinged domed lid with a round silver fineal. Elongated neck with silver, die rolled border. Body with applied decorations of butterflies, a bird, grapevines and bunches of grapes, and a spray of 3 flowers with copper centers.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 TextMany American consumers who viewed international exhibitions were awestruck by the Japanese metal artisans' use of lesser expensive metals to create luxury wares. To imitate Japanese goods, American manufacturers adopted the use of materials such as copper, created textured and colored finishes, and relied on asymmetrical naturalistic ornamentation seen throughout Japanese art.
In 1881 Gorham was among the first American firms to market an adventuresome line of patinated copperwares successfully. The body of this coffeepot was formed by hand hammering then colored by a chemical process. The form of the coffeepot replicates Turkish-style examples, but the applied mixed-metal decorations are inspire by Japanese art. According to the Gorham firm, the imaginative and skillful treatment of base metals in the goods produced by silver manufacturers was "greeted by the Trade with the most hearty sense of appreciation."
ATD
