Early American Silver In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

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Beginning with Cesar Ghiselin in 1681, Philadelphia has a long and storied history of silversmithing that includes notable artists such as Joseph Richardson Sr. and Jr., Philip Syng Jr., and Olaf Skoogfors. Celebrating this legacy and showcasing the Philadelphia Museum of Art's extraordinary and comprehensive collection of American silver, this generously illustrated book features a broad array of objects that range from colonial-era tableware to groundbreaking contemporary designs. Extensive biographies of makers accompany detailed entries on individual pieces that are full of new discoveries related to artist marks, heraldic engravings, and provenance histories. This volume is the first of four - organized alphabetically by makers and retailers - that will eventually encompass the museum's complete collection of American silver.

This catalogue, published annually by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announces the Museum's publications for that year. It also features notable backlist titles and provide a complete list of books available in print at the time of publication.

The history of American silver offers invaluable insights into the economic and cultural history of the nation itself. Published here for the first time, the Art Institute of Chicago's superb collection embodies innovation and beauty from the colonial era to the present. In the 17th century, silversmiths brought the fashions of their homelands to the colonies, and in the early 18th, new forms arose as technology diversified production. Demand increased in the 19th century as the Industrial Revolution took hold. In the 20th, modernism changed the shape of silver inside and outside the home. This beautifully illustrated volume presents highlights from the collection with stunning photography and entries from leading specialists. In-depth essays relate a fascinating story about eating, drinking, and entertaining that spans the history of the Republic and trace the development of the Art Institute's holdings of American silver over nearly a century.

"The first publication of the museum's full collection of American silver, which ranks with the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MFA Boston and ranges from colonial-era tableware to ecclesiastical and presentation silver, to jewelry by renowned contemporary artists. This publication will provide a look at the evolution of designs in silver as well as the early history of Philadelphia--a center of silver production from its earliest days--as seen through the intersecting lives of its artisans and patrons. The catalogue section includes extensive biographies of makers and retailers, based on decades of archival research, along with detailed object entries, including deeply researched information on the original owners and the donors. The photography captures not only full views of the objects but also details, marks, and heraldic engraving. The first of four volumes, the 2018 publication will cover makers and retailers whose names begin with the letters A to F. The Museum's complete American silver collection has not previously been published. The catalogue will combine generous illustrations similar to those in the MFA Boston's Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000 (2008), with the biographical detail of Patricia Kane's Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers (Yale, 1998)"--