GENERAL DESCRIPTION
With its bold, geometric forms and classical engraved and cast ornaments, this J.R. Wendt waste bowl, part of a tea and coffee service, balances modernism and revivalism, themes that often competed for dominance in 19th-century design. The use of spheres, cylinders, and right angles simultaneously recalls the visionary renderings of the 18th-century architect Étienne-Louis Boullée (1738-1799) and foreshadow the modernist metalwork of English industrial designer Christopher Dresser (1834-1904). Conversely, the selectively applied decoration, such as Wendt's signature medallions, is based on the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. In examples such as this, U.S. metalworkers paid homage to the past, while giving form to the future.
The waste bowl lacks the engraving found on the other pieces and has different legs. It was probably a later addition to the set. The central bands were not applied, but are repousséd. The lined background of the medallions are characteristic of Wendt's work.
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), 50, 328.
- DMA unpublished material, Label copy.
NOTES
I changed the title of 1998.43.1-5 from "Tea and coffee set" to "Tea and coffee service" per the DMA's style guidelines and renamed object elements per Decorative Arts and Design title standards.
I removed the silver grade ("Sterling") from Medium display field in TMS and listed it as a Getty Vocabularies term .
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.
- DMA Label Copy, current as of April 27, 2015
HAB updated geo x refs for all parts
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
WALL LABEL Y
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Mallison collection, Midland, Texas [1]
n.d.: Red Door Antiques (Delora Kirby), Odessa, Texas [1]
n.d.: Virginia Kruse (1930-1987), Roswell, New Mexico, purchased from the above [1]
Until 1988: Phyllis Tucker Antiques & Silver (Phyllis Tucker), purchased from the above [1]
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
[1] See letter from Phyllis Tucker to Charles Venable (dated April 29, 1988, in Collections Records Object File).
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
CONTEXTUAL IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- The J. Paul Getty Museum~Read a biography of 18th century French architect Étienne-Louis Boullée, whose visionary renderings feature bold, geometric forms similar to those in the J. R. Wendt & Co. tea and coffee service.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read a biography of English industrial designer Christopher Dresser, who produced modernist metalwork in the late 19th century.
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Apply to objects where number equals 1988.43.5
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General Description
With its bold, geometric forms and classical engraved and cast ornaments, this J.R. Wendt waste bowl, part of a tea and coffee service, balances modernism and revivalism, themes that often competed for dominance in 19th-century design. The use of spheres, cylinders, and right angles simultaneously recalls the visionary renderings of the 18th-century architect Étienne-Louis Boullée (1738-1799) and foreshadow the modernist metalwork of English industrial designer Christopher Dresser (1834-1904). Conversely, the selectively applied decoration, such as Wendt's signature medallions, is based on the traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. In examples such as this, U.S. metalworkers paid homage to the past, while giving form to the future.
The waste bowl lacks the engraving found on the other pieces and has different legs. It was probably a later addition to the set. The central bands were not applied, but are repousséd. The lined background of the medallions are characteristic of Wendt's work.
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), 50, 328.
- DMA unpublished material, Label copy.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- The J. Paul Getty Museum~Read a biography of 18th century French architect Étienne-Louis Boullée, whose visionary renderings feature bold, geometric forms similar to those in the J. R. Wendt & Co. tea and coffee service.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art~Read a biography of English industrial designer Christopher Dresser, who produced modernist metalwork in the late 19th century.
Notes
I changed the title of 1998.43.1-5 from "Tea and coffee set" to "Tea and coffee service" per the DMA's style guidelines and renamed object elements per Decorative Arts and Design title standards.
I removed the silver grade ("Sterling") from Medium display field in TMS and listed it as a Getty Vocabularies term .
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.
- DMA Label Copy, current as of April 27, 2015
HAB updated geo x refs for all parts
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
WALL LABEL Y
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Mallison collection, Midland, Texas [1]
n.d.: Red Door Antiques (Delora Kirby), Odessa, Texas [1]
n.d.: Virginia Kruse (1930-1987), Roswell, New Mexico, purchased from the above [1]
Until 1988: Phyllis Tucker Antiques & Silver (Phyllis Tucker), purchased from the above [1]
From 1988: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above
[1] See letter from Phyllis Tucker to Charles Venable (dated April 29, 1988, in Collections Records Object File).
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