Creamer
ca. 1830
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 7 x 5 7/16 in. (17.8 x 13.8 cm); 10 oz. 8 dwt. (323 g) Foot: Diam. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Classification
Cream pot
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Alphonso T. Clearwater, 1933
Accession Number
33.120.304
Art Historical Context
This elegant silver creamer, crafted by New York silversmith Newell around 1830, exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of early 19th-century American decorative arts. Measuring 7 inches tall with a 3¼-inch diameter foot and weighing a substantial 10 ounces 8weight, it was designed for serving cream in affluent households, where such pieces formed part of elaborate tea services central to social rituals. Harding's work reflects the transition from Federal neoclassicism to the bolder Empire style, characterized by graceful proportions and gleaming hand-hammered silver. Produced during a period ...