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.
This Martelé dessert plate was chased by second generation Gorham chaser Ernest W. Regester, who earned the considerable salary of $40 per week by 1905. It required 22 oz. 12 pennyweight of silver, six hours of silversmithing, and twenty-four hours of chasing, contributing to an estimated retail price of $100.
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- Samuel J. Hough, DMA unpublished material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
formatted, added image, updated sources - 8/30 (JBA)
I updated the title of the object in TMS to include carets to indicate italics.
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, and Bibliography fields in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
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RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: The Charles R. Masling and John E. Furen Collection, Houston, Texas
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Arts, purchased from the above
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WEB RESOURCES
YouTube~Watch a video about Gorham Manufacturing Company
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Apply to objects where number equals 1991.101.22
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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.
This Martelé dessert plate was chased by second generation Gorham chaser Ernest W. Regester, who earned the considerable salary of $40 per week by 1905. It required 22 oz. 12 pennyweight of silver, six hours of silversmithing, and twenty-four hours of chasing, contributing to an estimated retail price of $100.
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
formatted, added image, updated sources - 8/30 (JBA)
I updated the title of the object in TMS to include carets to indicate italics.
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, and Bibliography fields in TMS.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: The Charles R. Masling and John E. Furen Collection, Houston, Texas
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Arts, purchased from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
CONTEXTUAL
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1991.101.22
source file
object_notes_2_b-0040.xml.nores