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 centerpiece consists of three pieces: the centerpiece itself, the stand, and the lid, which featured pierced perforations used to support the stems of flowers. Gorham craftsman expended more than 400 hours of skill labor to produce the centerpiece, utilizing a variety of techniques, including raising, casting, chasing, and piercing.
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.
NOTES
TMS Updates - GeoXrefs - place of origin - JBA (10/23/2017)
Added image - 8/30 (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
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RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1995: The Oberod Collection, Centerville, Delaware [1]
From 1995: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift [1]
[1] See Collections Records Digital Objects 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 1995.61.A-C
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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 centerpiece consists of three pieces: the centerpiece itself, the stand, and the lid, which featured pierced perforations used to support the stems of flowers. Gorham craftsman expended more than 400 hours of skill labor to produce the centerpiece, utilizing a variety of techniques, including raising, casting, chasing, and piercing.
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.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
TMS Updates - GeoXrefs - place of origin - JBA (10/23/2017)
Added image - 8/30 (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 1995: The Oberod Collection, Centerville, Delaware [1]
From 1995: Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift [1]
[1] See Collections Records Digital Objects File.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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Objects
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1995.61.A-C
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object_notes_2_b-0031.xml.nores