GENERAL DESCRIPTION
At the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, Gorham Manufacturing Company introduced a limited production line of handwrought wares named Martelé, the French word for "hammered." In the spirit of the British Arts and Crafts movement, each Martelé design was raised, chased, and finished by hand, processes evident in conspicuous hammer marks. While Gorham utilized methods of production based on 19th-century precepts, it rejected styles of the past in favor of a fashion that evoked the new century: Art Nouveau. Chief Designer, William C. Codman, and other designers applied Art Nouveau details, such as exuberant handles and everted feet and lips with undulating edges, and decorations, such as organic ornament, to traditional forms at once progressive, yet palatable to conservative American consumers.
When new, this pair of Martelé candelabra cost $1,050, a staggering sum that reflected 112 troy ounces of silver and the 365 hours of skilled labor required for their production, including 247 hours of chasing completed by Clemens Friedell. The candelabra were classified as "electroliers" in Gorham records, as they originally contained electrical fittings placed on each arm and cords entwined amongst the raised and chased foliage. Such fixtures were highly prized in 1905, when electricity was in its infancy, especially in the domestic sphere.
Adapted from
- Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 251-258.
- Samuel J. Hough, DMA unpublished material.
NOTES
TMS Updates - GeoXRefs - place of birth, death, worked in, trained in (Clemens Friedell), place of origin, manufactured in - JBA (10/26/2017)
updated rule - 9/6 (JBA)
I updated the title of the object in TMS to include the acute accent mark and carets to indicate italics.
I removed techniques from the Medium fields in TMS. Techniques are listed as tags.
I added "Circa 1900: Design at the Turn of the Century" label copy to TMS as a Text Entry.
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References fields in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
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RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: The Oberod Collection, Centerville, Delaware [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift
[1] See Collections Records Digital Object File.
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WEB RESOURCES
YouTube~Watch a video about Gorham Manufacturing Company
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Apply to objects where number equals 1991.34.1.A-H
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General Description
At the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, Gorham Manufacturing Company introduced a limited production line of handwrought wares named Martelé, the French word for "hammered." In the spirit of the British Arts and Crafts movement, each Martelé design was raised, chased, and finished by hand, processes evident in conspicuous hammer marks. While Gorham utilized methods of production based on 19th-century precepts, it rejected styles of the past in favor of a fashion that evoked the new century: Art Nouveau. Chief Designer, William C. Codman, and other designers applied Art Nouveau details, such as exuberant handles and everted feet and lips with undulating edges, and decorations, such as organic ornament, to traditional forms at once progressive, yet palatable to conservative American consumers.
When new, this pair of Martelé candelabra cost $1,050, a staggering sum that reflected 112 troy ounces of silver and the 365 hours of skilled labor required for their production, including 247 hours of chasing completed by Clemens Friedell. The candelabra were classified as "electroliers" in Gorham records, as they originally contained electrical fittings placed on each arm and cords entwined amongst the raised and chased foliage. Such fixtures were highly prized in 1905, when electricity was in its infancy, especially in the domestic sphere.
Adapted from
- Charles L. Venable, Silver in America, 1840-1940: A Century of Splendor (Dallas, Texas: Dallas Museum of Art; New York, New York; Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1994), 251-258.
- Samuel J. Hough, DMA unpublished material.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
TMS Updates - GeoXRefs - place of birth, death, worked in, trained in (Clemens Friedell), place of origin, manufactured in - JBA (10/26/2017)
updated rule - 9/6 (JBA)
I updated the title of the object in TMS to include the acute accent mark and carets to indicate italics.
I removed techniques from the Medium fields in TMS. Techniques are listed as tags.
I added "Circa 1900: Design at the Turn of the Century" label copy to TMS as a Text Entry.
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References fields in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: The Oberod Collection, Centerville, Delaware [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift
[1] See Collections Records Digital Object File.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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1991.34.1.A-H
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1991.34.2.A-H
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source file
object_notes_2_b-0023.xml.nores