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Tureen
1730-1778
Description
This showy tureen was made in Mexico City by a silversmith working to supply the dining service needs for a Spanish colonist in the mid-1700s. Tureens of this era often were one of two, or part of a larger set, each with a matching stand or tray. Today, the first owner is unknown, but import marks on the tureen indicate it traveled through the port of Cadiz in the nineteenth century. An original engraved owner’s insignia or name, if ever added, was removed before the tureen was acquired by the Campbell Museum.
Category
Metals
Place of Origin
Mexico City; Mexico; North America
Materials
- Silver
Museum Object Number
1996.0004.231 A, B
Credit Line/Donor
Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens at Winterthur
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Complete Details
Object Number
1996.0004.231 A, B
Object Name
Tureen
Category
Metals - Campbell Collection
Place of Origin
Mexico City; Mexico; North America
Date
1730-1778
Mark/Signature/Inscription/Label
Type: Mark
Location: Lid, underside and body interior
Inscription: Eagle with wings outspread, inside a circle, facing viewer's left, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Lid, underside and body interior
Inscription: Crowned columns above 'M", in a square, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Lid, underside and body interior
Inscription: Central figure with arms outstretched flanked by two creatures, in a conforming surround, stamped
Type: Mark
Location: Lid, underside and body interior
Inscription: "GNZ" in conforming surround, stamped, for assayer Diego Gonzalez de la Cueva
Type: Inscription
Location: Lid, exterior of flange and body interior bezel
Inscription: "B" in shaded block capital, engraved both places
Type: Inscription
Location: Lid, underside
Inscription: "BD" conjoined block capitals with diagonal shading, engraved
Mark/Signature: Yes
Subject(s)
- Spanish market (Mexican manufacture)
Materials
- Silver
Dimensions (inches)
9.313 (H) x 8.625 (W) x 14.875 (L)
Dimensions (centimeters)
23.655 (H) x 21.908 (W) x 37.783 (L)
Dimensions (oz)
116
Measurement Notes
Silver standard alloy XRF analysis: The average for this tureen is 91.9% pure.
Tureen lid rim interior: 94.56% silver, 5.24% copper, 0.04% gold, 0.16% lead and a trace of zinc.
Lid finial: 95.06% silver, 4.83% copper, 0.08% gold, 0.03% lead.
Tureen body side: 91.87% silver, 8.01% copper, 0.07% gold, 0.05% lead. Tureen handle: 94.41% silver, 5.29% copper, 0.25% gold, 0.05% lead. Results for the shell support are also recorded in the Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens at Winterthur, no. 29, p. 240. Notes to the catalogue cite a Mexican silver standard of 91.67% (11 dineros of 12 dineros) purity for wrought work of the mid-18th century.