GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Chinoiserie, a style inspired by the arts of China and neighboring Asian countries, first appeared in American silver in the colonial period, but did not reach its height until the mid-19th century, when wealthy Americans imported Asian porcelain, lacquerware, silk, and prints with increasing frequency. This kettle-on-stand, produced in the workshop of Boston silversmith Augustus Rogers, combines Chinoiserie motifs with Rococo Revival elements. The body of the kettle features an exotic landscape populated by stereotyped Chinese figures engaged in a variety of pursuits. Two figures wearing traditional garb and conical hats gesture toward a cartouche with a representation of a mansion believed to be that of the original owner, not yet identified. A figure sitting on a tea chest while smoking a pipe forms the finial and further contributes to the 19th-century vision of the Far East.
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), 327.
- DMA unpublished material.
NOTES
TMS Update - GeoXref - place of origin - JBA 10/16/2017
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References fields in TMS.
I added the following as a TMS Text Entry: 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), 327.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: Samuel H. Mintz Straus, Inc. (Samuel H. Mintz Straus), New York, New York
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- V&A~Learn more about chinoiserie.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1991.1.A-B
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Chinoiserie, a style inspired by the arts of China and neighboring Asian countries, first appeared in American silver in the colonial period, but did not reach its height until the mid-19th century, when wealthy Americans imported Asian porcelain, lacquerware, silk, and prints with increasing frequency. This kettle-on-stand, produced in the workshop of Boston silversmith Augustus Rogers, combines Chinoiserie motifs with Rococo Revival elements. The body of the kettle features an exotic landscape populated by stereotyped Chinese figures engaged in a variety of pursuits. Two figures wearing traditional garb and conical hats gesture toward a cartouche with a representation of a mansion believed to be that of the original owner, not yet identified. A figure sitting on a tea chest while smoking a pipe forms the finial and further contributes to the 19th-century vision of the Far East.
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), 327.
- DMA unpublished material.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- V&A~Learn more about chinoiserie.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
Notes
TMS Update - GeoXref - place of origin - JBA 10/16/2017
I edited, updated, or entered the Provenance, Exhibition History, Bibliography, and Published References fields in TMS.
I added the following as a TMS Text Entry: 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), 327.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: Samuel H. Mintz Straus, Inc. (Samuel H. Mintz Straus), New York, New York
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1991.1.A-B
source file
object_notes_1_a-0121.xml.nores