Metals
Cornelius Kierstede (Maker)
New York or New Haven., New York or Connecticut, Mid-Atlantic or Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
1710-1730
Silver
Wrought, Cast, Engraved, Cut, Molded
1956.0084
Object Number1956.0084 |
Tankard
Metals
Gift of Mr. Charles K. Davis
Cornelius Kierstede (Maker)
December 25, 1674-1757
As per Darling, New York State Silversmiths, p. 111: Cornelius Kierstede married in 1703. (L. Clouser, cataloguer, 03/02/2011)
New York or New Haven., New York or Connecticut, Mid-Atlantic or Mid-Atlantic, United States, North America
1710-1730
1. Mark; Lid, upper surface; "CK" stamped in a rectangle
2. Mark; Body, left of handle; "CK" stamped in a rectangle
3. Mark; Body, right of handle; "CK" stamped in a rectangle
4. Inscription; Lid, upper surface; "SJR" or "RJS" engraved
5. Inscription; Handle; "S / R*J" engraved
6. Inscription; Underside; "35=oünse A°" engraved
Armorial device
Silver
Wrought, Cast, Engraved, Cut, Molded
7.362 (H) , 8.661 (L) , 5.669 (W) , 37.602 (Weight)
18.7 (H) , 22 (L) , 14.4 (W) , 1066 (Weight)
This generous, weighty tankard ornamented with a regal lion, an angelic cherub head, and engraving indicating several owners is the only example of Cornelius Kierstede's silver at Winterthur. The shape and applied ornament clearly anchor it in the early decades of the 1700s, when the silversmith masterfully created forms and designs that appealed to Anglo and Dutch patrons in New York city, Albany, and New Haven. The specific ownership history for this richly engraved treasure of silver patrimony is elusive. The reflexive initials on the lid appear to be the same as those on the handle, probably the surname "S" for a man whose name begins with "R" and his wife whose name begins with "J," This tankard's similarity to another one by Kierstede in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation collection suggests it may have been for an Albany or New York patron, but the slightly later addition of a diamond-shape (lozenge) armorial device on the tankard's front may indicate ownership history in Connecticut, where the tankard was acquired by the donor. Scholars speculate that the armorial, which is identical to one used by Jane Still, the daughter of the prominent English Bishop John Still and widow of Sir Francis Pile, 2nd Baronet, was adopted by a colonial owner with the surname Still or Sill.
[Book] Quimby, Ian M. G. 1995 American Silver at Winterthur.
• Published: p. 257-8, no. 221
[Book] Fales, Martha Gandy. 1973 Early American Silver.
• Published: p. 138, fig. no. 133
[Book] Fales, Martha Gandy. 1970 Early American Silver for the Cautious Collector.
• Published: p. 239, fig. 199a
[Article] Wahlberg, Katherine A. 01//2008 Cornelius Kierstede Colonial Silversmith. Antiques. 202-211.
• Published: p. 208, figs. 9, 9a
[Book] Guillim, John. 1724 Display of Heraldry.
• See p. 439 in the 1724 edition
[Article] Fennimore, Donald L. 1983 Cornelius Kierstede Tankard. Silver Magazine. 15 (May-June)
• Published: pp. 30-32
[Article] Fennimore, Donald L. 06//1982 Notable New York Silver From the 17th to the 20th Century. Art and Antiques Magazine. 42-47.
• Published: p. 44