GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The technique of electroplating was in practice in the United States by 1840, two years after it was patented by George and Henry Elkington of the English firm of Elkington & Co. Prior to the Civil War, American silverplate manufacturers primarily produced simple objects, such as flatware, and rarely attempted complex compositions. This Gothic Revival cruet stand, manufactured by Roswell Gleason & Sons, represents the high point of antebellum silverplate due to its size and intricate decoration and construction. While the body rotates on the base, the knob turns the six doors to reveal compartments reminiscent of architectural niches that hold various condiment bottles.
Adapted from
DMA unpublished material.
NOTES
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), 325.
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PROVENANCE
From 1993: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, "Fine Americana," Sotheby's New York, January 28-31, 1993, sale 6392, lot 137, as "An American Silver-Plated Cruet Set" [1]
[1] See Sotheby's New York Client Invoice (dated April 23, 1993, copy in Collections Records Object File).
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UMO PENDING
[U.S. Patent # 18,740 for the "Revolving Bottle Caster," submitted by Edward Gleason on December 1, 1857. Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent #: US000018740, accessed March 24, 2015, http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=0&docid=00018740&IDKey=DE92362FE822%0D%0A&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fpatimg.htm.%5D]
WEB RESOURCES
- KERA~Read about nano-scale tests conducted on the DMA's collection of silverplate, including this cruet stand.
- Brooklyn Museum~View the model for this cruet stand submitted by Edward Gleason to the Patent Office.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
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General Description
The technique of electroplating was in practice in the United States by 1840, two years after it was patented by George and Henry Elkington of the English firm of Elkington & Co. Prior to the Civil War, American silverplate manufacturers primarily produced simple objects, such as flatware, and rarely attempted complex compositions. This Gothic Revival cruet stand, manufactured by Roswell Gleason & Sons, represents the high point of antebellum silverplate due to its size and intricate decoration and construction. While the body rotates on the base, the knob turns the six doors to reveal compartments reminiscent of architectural niches that hold various condiment bottles.
Adapted from
DMA unpublished material.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- KERA~Read about nano-scale tests conducted on the DMA's collection of silverplate, including this cruet stand.
- Brooklyn Museum~View the model for this cruet stand submitted by Edward Gleason to the Patent Office.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read more about Nineteenth-Century American Silver.
Notes
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), 325.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS #cop
PROVENANCE
From 1993: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased at auction, "Fine Americana," Sotheby's New York, January 28-31, 1993, sale 6392, lot 137, as "An American Silver-Plated Cruet Set" [1]
[1] See Sotheby's New York Client Invoice (dated April 23, 1993, copy in Collections Records Object File).
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