Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State

United States of America flag

Web Property of the U.S. Department of State

American Silver Coffeepot

Home / Explore The Collection
Close

Object Details

Maker
Joseph Richardson, Jr. (American, 1752-1831; working alone 1790-ca. 1801)
Date
ca. 1795
Geography
United States: Pennsylvania: Philadelphia
Culture
North American
Medium
metal; silver
Dimensions
Overall: 15 1/8 in x 11 1/2 in; 38.4175 cm x 29.21 cm
Provenance
By descent in the Morris family; to the donors.
Inscriptions
On the side, in elaborate script within crossed palms (in neoclassical style but inscribed later over an erased inscription), "MS" probably for Mary Smith, who married Richard Hill in 1798; recently engraved arms on the other side, "ESTO VIGILANS" ("Be Vigilant") -first quarter Morris, second quarter Smith, third and fourth quarters unidentified. The family history is recorded around the edge and corners of the plinth: "Mary Smith and Richard Hill Morris 1798/ Chas. M & Ann J. Morris 1848/ Wm. J & Annie H. Morris 1883./ Jas. S & Gertrud R.M. Merritt 1902/ Morris Hill Merritt 1913/ Married/ Sarah Ellen Richardson/ Nov. 10-1928." Marks: In block letters within a small rectangular reserve, struck in each corner under the plinth, "I.R."
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Morris Hill Merritt, Mrs. Duffield Ashmead III, and Mrs. Robert D. Langmann
Collection
The Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C.
Accession Number
RR-1981.0038

Object Essay

Urn-shaped coffeepots made in Philadelphia are among the finest expressions of neoclassical taste. The body of this example is divided into two nearly equal parts: a lower ovoid section and a concave, or reel-shaped, upper section, which emphasizes the tall, vertical proportions of the total design. The slender reel-shaped cover is topped by an urn-shaped finial, which provides the fourth in the series of concave curves forming the profile of the piece. The gently curved, elongated spout is balanced by the carved C-scroll handle attached by simple, cast scroll sockets. The lower socket is of a pattern used for about fifty years between 1750 and 1800 first by Joseph Richardson, Sr., and later by his two sons.

Jennifer F. Goldsborough

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.