Object Details
Object Essay
Like the Great Seal and its variations, or the badge of the Society of the Cincinnati, the arms of New York provided a patriotic and relatively democratic form of armorial decoration on porcelains made in China for the American market between 1790 and 1810. Although many pieces from numerous tea or coffee services are assigned to this group, only two services show the full arms of the state of New York (with minor variations); a sunburst rising from behind a mountain near a harbor, surmounted by a spread eagle grasping a globe, and supported by a figure of Justice holding a sword and scales, and Liberty with a staff bearing the cap of Liberty, all above a ribbon with the motto “EXCELSIOR.” Usually the coat of arms is rendered in colors, and, frequently the sunrise was replaced with a flower sprig or the initials of the owner. The latter, of course, would have been specially ordered. Presumably, all services with the New York arms or its many variations were made for residents of the state, although, few have been identified with a particular owner or family.1Howard 1984, 87–88, identifies twenty-four New York arms tea or coffee services with initials, but only four with associations with the original owner.
The central decoration of this tea set, beautifully painted in sepia, offers a distant but charming variation of the official arms. The figure of Liberty is seated casually, holding the staff with her famous cap, and Justice, without her sword, leans on a shield bearing the initials “EF.”2Ibid., 88, lists four other pieces from this set, including a cake plate in the Winterthur Museum and a saucer in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The latter piece is pictured and discussed in Ibid., 93–94.
Ellen Paul Denker and Bert R. Denker
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.