Tankard
- Date
- 1740–50
- Material
- Silver
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 7 1/4 x 6 3/4 in. (18.4 x 17.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Elissa and Paul Cahn
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 112:2000
NOTES
Marked by Jacob Hurd, one of colonial Boston's most highly skilled and prolific goldsmiths, this tankard is an excellent example of domestic silver made in the second quarter of the eighteenth-century. The tankard's slightly tapered body ornamented with rich moldings, a broadly scrolled handle terminating in a grotesque mask, and the low stepped lid and baluster finial exemplify the form and ornament of baroque-style silver of colonial New England.
Another important element in the tankard's design is the engraved cartouche that encloses the owner's coat of arms. Composed of rich, three-dimensional foliage, scrolls, and shells on an imbricated ground, the cartouche demonstrates the flourishing of ornamental engraving in the baroque style in the early eighteenth century.
Provenance
18th - 19th century
probably Margaret (Fayerweather) Bromfield (1732-1761) and Henry Bromfield (1727-1820), Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Henry (1751-1837) and Margaret Letitia (Fox) Bromfield, London and Cheltenham, England, by inheritance [1]
Private Collection, England
c.1998
Koopman Rare Art, London, England, purchased at auction, England [2]
by 1999
Elissa and Paul Cahn, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Koopman Rare Art [3]
2000 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Elissa and Paul Cahn [4]
Notes:
[1] The engraved coat of arms on the tankard are those used by the Bromfield family of Boston, Massachusetts. The initials MB engraved on the handle probably signify Margaret (Fayerweather) Bromfield. ["Useful Beauty: Early American Decorative Arts from St. Louis Collections." St. Louis: Saint Louis Art Museum, 1999, cat. no. 37.]
[2] Information on the prior provenance was provided to the donor by the dealer, and conveyed in a conversation between the donor and David Conradsen, assistant curator.
[3] See note [2].
[4] Deed of gift dated December 19, 2000 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 2001.
probably Margaret (Fayerweather) Bromfield (1732-1761) and Henry Bromfield (1727-1820), Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Henry (1751-1837) and Margaret Letitia (Fox) Bromfield, London and Cheltenham, England, by inheritance [1]
Private Collection, England
c.1998
Koopman Rare Art, London, England, purchased at auction, England [2]
by 1999
Elissa and Paul Cahn, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Koopman Rare Art [3]
2000 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Elissa and Paul Cahn [4]
Notes:
[1] The engraved coat of arms on the tankard are those used by the Bromfield family of Boston, Massachusetts. The initials MB engraved on the handle probably signify Margaret (Fayerweather) Bromfield. ["Useful Beauty: Early American Decorative Arts from St. Louis Collections." St. Louis: Saint Louis Art Museum, 1999, cat. no. 37.]
[2] Information on the prior provenance was provided to the donor by the dealer, and conveyed in a conversation between the donor and David Conradsen, assistant curator.
[3] See note [2].
[4] Deed of gift dated December 19, 2000 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 2001.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.