1953.0020 Pewter beaker
  • 1953.0020 Pewter beaker
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Beaker (Cup)

  • Category:

    Metals

  • Creator (Role):

    Ebenezer Southmayd (Maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Castleton, Vermont, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1802-1820

  • Materials:

    Pewter

  • Techniques:

    Cast, Engraved

  • Museum Object Number:

    1953.0020


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1953.0020

Object Name

Beaker (Cup)

Category

Metals

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Ebenezer Southmayd (Maker)

Place of Origin

Castleton, Vermont, United States, North America

Date

1802-1820

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Mark; Inside bottom, center; "E.S." below a sailing ship, stamped

Subjects

Maritime

Materials

Pewter

Techniques

Cast, Engraved

Dimensions (inches)

4.374 (H) , 3.78 (Diam)

Dimensions (centimeters)

11.11 (H) , 9.6 (Diam)

Object Description

Web - 02/26/2020

This generously proportioned beaker with a slightly flared opening retains a smooth, even exterior and a maker's mark with the pictorial addition of a square-rigged merchant ship on the interior. It entered the private collection of Mr. Henry Francis du Pont in time to be loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a seminal exhibition of American pewter in 1939. The curator, Joseph Downs, characterized American pewterers as giving their work "attention... to both the sleekness of the contours and the quiet beauty of the metal;" words that also may describe pewter's renewed appeal for collectors of the early twentieth century.

Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes

[Book] Montgomery, Charles F. 1973 A History of American Pewter.
Published: P. 65, Fig. 4-12.
[Article] Downs, Joseph. 1939 A Loan Exhibition of Amerian Pewter. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin. 34 (3): 61-64.
Published: P. 62, Fig. 3.