1966.1183 Pewter plate
  • 1966.1183 Pewter plate
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Plate

  • Category:

    Metals

  • Creator (Role):

    Thomas Danforth II (Maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Middletown, Connecticut, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1755-1782

  • Materials:

    Pewter

  • Techniques:

    Cast

  • Museum Object Number:

    1966.1183


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1966.1183

Object Name

Plate

Category

Metals

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Thomas Danforth II (Maker)
06/02/1731-08/08/1782
Thomas Danforth II is the son of Thomas I; father of Thomas III, Joseph Sr, Edward, Jonathan (of Middletown) and Samuel (of Middletown); grandfather to Joseph Jr and Josiah; uncle to Samuel and John, both of Norwich. Nineteen members of the Danforth family, spread over five generations, became invovled with manufacturing pewter or britannia. They were headed by Thomas Danforth I (active 1733-1786), who moved from Taunton, Massachusetts to Norwich, Connecticut in 1733. Though Thomas I may have manufactured pewter, it was not his primary trade. He probably acted mostly as a merchant in a business with his son, John (of Norwich); it is also possible that he sold goods coming from his son Thomas II in Middletown (according to Thomas; see references below). (Please note: not all scholars agree that Thomas I was not a pewterer. For example, Montgomery assigns two marks to the eldest Thomas.) Thomas II probably began his apprenticeship around 1745, possibly learning braziery, coppersmithing, iron working, and possibly the basics of manufacturing pewter from Thomas I. Thomas II may have worked with Thomas I for a short time in Norwich but had moved to Middletown by 1755. He was connected to Jacob Whitmore in some way: when Thomas II died in 1782, his pewter moulds were owned jointly by his estate and Jacob Whitmore. Thomas II and, probably, Whitmore trained Samuel Hamlin from 1760 to 1767. Hamlin and Thomas II were joined in a business venture that was dissolved by 1773, though they remained connected until Thomas II's death, since some moulds had to be retrieved from Hamlin's shop at the time of Thomas's death. Thomas II trained his sons Thomas III and Joseph Sr, and possibly began training his younger sons Edward and Johnathan (of Middletown). Marks are assigned by John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), as follows (p.55-56): -Rampant lion in gateway, probably exclusively by Thomas II (fig.46) -Rampant lion in oval with initials "TI", used by Thomas II and John (of Norwich), probably by Thomas III and Joseph Sr (fig.47) -Rampant lion in circle with initials "TD", used primarily by Thomas II, possibly briefly by Thomas III (fig.48) -Stylized rose in a circle, used by Thomas II and possibly Thomas III (fig.49) -Sets of four hallmarks including the initials "TD" used by both Thomas II and III (fig.50 and 51) -"MIDDLETOWN" in a banderole above a leaf used by Thomas II (fig.52) -"T·D" in rectangle by Thomas II and III (fig.53) -Crowned "X" used by Thomas II, possibly Thomas III (fig.54) -Rampant lion facing viewer's left within double scrolled oval with the initials "TI", used probably by Thomas II during his work with John (of Norwich) (fig.58) For more on Thomas Danforth II's marks, see Montgomery, History of American Pewter (1973), p.220; Kauffman, The American Pewterer (1970), p.139; Ebert, Collecting American Pewter (1973), p.128-130; C. Jordan Thorn, Handbook of American Silver and Pewter Marks (1949), p.252; and Carl Jacobs, Guide to American Pewter (1957), p.77-79. See also John Carl Thomas, Connecticut Pewter and Pewterers (1976), p.50-145; Laughlin, Pewter in America (1981), vol.1, p.108-110 and vol.3, 67-70.

Place of Origin

Middletown, Connecticut, United States, North America

Date

1755-1782

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Mark; Underside of base; "T" and "I" flanking a rampant lion, all within an oval, stamped
2. Mark; Underside of base; "T·D", stamped
3. Mark; Underside of base; Lion or leopard head, stamped
4. Mark; Underside of base; Seated Britannia, stamped
5. Mark; Underside of base; Dagger, stamped

Materials

Pewter

Techniques

Cast

Dimensions (inches)

0.563 (H) , 8 (Diam)

Dimensions (centimeters)

1.43 (H) , 20.32 (Diam)

Object Description

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