Tureen

Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner designed this tureen for a dinner service that was presented to Commodore John Rodgers by the citizens of Baltimore to commemorate his defeat of the British at Fort McHenry in 1814. The design combines highly polished forms divided by bands of classical ornament. The tureen's voluminous round body and the square plinth on which it rests are polished to mirrorlike perfection. Atop the lid, a fruit finial erupts from a rosette of foliage. An appliqué of scrolls punctuated by winged masks and mythological beasts encircles the rim, while pairs of eagles' heads support the handles. Bands of textured foliage enrich the flared moldings of the stem, and winged lions' paws elevate the base. The combination of restrained geometric forms with rich ornament embodies a French style of silver design popular in the early nineteenth century.