Pitcher
Decorative Arts and Design

Pitcher
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Stephen Richard (New York, active 1802-1834), designer and maker
Date
ca. 1830
Medium
Silver
Accession #
1982.300
Dimensions
14 1/2 x 9 3/8 x 6 1/4 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 306
Description
Motifs adapted from classical antiquity were popular choices for the decoration of silver made in the first half of the nineteenth century. Vessels made in the shape of urns or ewers and decorated with bold acanthus leaves, grapes, and grape leaves were associated with the grandeur of the ancient world. Many of these designs remained in fashion well into the 1850s, even when architects and design critics favored more elaborate floral decoration.