Pitcher (Cream or milk pitcher or pot)

Museum Object Number 1964.1511.002

Object Name

Pitcher (Cream or milk pitcher or pot)

Category

Metals

Credit Line/Donor

Gift of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Jesse Shenton Zane (Maker)

Creator Notes

As per Fennimore, Delaware Silver, p. 329: Jesse Shenton Zane was the son of a Quaker hardware merchant.

Date of Birth

1773

Date of Death

1852

Place of Origin

Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America

Date

1794-1806

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Mark; Plinth, exterior, side; "(Z)AN(E)" in a rounded rectangle, stamped, effaced
2. Inscription; Body, side; "ARG" in foliated script, engraved
3. Inscription; Plinth, underside, edge; "64. 1511. 2" incised
4. Inscription; Plinth, underside, corner; "6(1)2 1" incised
5. Inscription; Plinth, underside, corner; "dwt" incised

Subjects

Quaker

Materials

Silver

Techniques

Wrought, Engraved, Cast

Dimensions (inches)

7.638 (H) , 5.157 (W) , 6.3846 (Weight)

Dimensions (centimeters)

19.4 (H) , 13.1 (W) , 181 (Weight)

Measurement Notes

Width is from end of spout to end of handle.

Object Description

Web - 04/09/2020

These four elements for a neoclassical or Federal style tea set express the taste for classical urns and vases from the tiny finials on the teapot and sugar bowl to the invaerted "helmet" shape cream pitcher. Silversmiths of this era redesigned familiar vessels for tea and coffee into new shapes using rigorous geometry and proportions borrowed from classical antiquity. The fashion for vases and urns was captured elegantly by Quaker silversmith Jesse Zane for a patron who's name is yet to be discovered. The engraved initials on the tea set are overly large and were created carefully by first setting in dots or gouges to outline the letters. Some of the engraving detail has been lost with years of polishing, but traces of this process remain, adding texture to the initials.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Quimby, Ian M. G. 1995 American Silver at Winterthur.
• Published: pp. 481-482, no. 517 a-d (Object number inverted "1964.1151")
[Book] Fennimore, Donald L. & Bartlett, Louisa D. 2008 Delaware Silver the Col. Kenneth P. & Regina I. Brown Collection. 355 p.
• Biographical information. pp. 329, 348.