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These extraordinary pieces were made by Woodward and Grosjean in Boston for Jones, Ball & Poor (a predecessor of Shreve, Crump and Low). The design is very rare and of exceedingly high quality. The cast naturalistic vine handles attach to the bodies of both pieces with the vine motif continuing through fine repousse work around the bodies. The design also depicts large vine leaves, clusters of berries and birds standing amongst the vines eating berries. This deep and three dimensional decoration is highly fluid with leaves in high relief appearing to nearly fold back onto themselves. The design is also enhanced by the stippled background giving the pieces an even more three dimensional look. The lids are decorated with classical acanthus leaves on a stippled background with a floral/berry finial. This stunning classical pattern can be traced to Moses Henry's A Collection of Antique Vases, Altars, Paterae, Tripods, Candelabra, Sarcophagi &c. from Various Collections (London, 1814) where this design can be found in plate 281.
 Each piece is beautifully monogrammed 'MAA' in a cursive style. The sugar bowl is marked underneath 'Jones, Ball & Poor/Pure Coin/W&G/Boston'. The cream jug is unmarked but obviously matches. Both pieces are in exceptional condition. The decoration is so crisp they appear to have never been polished...until we got them - they were black!! The creamer measures eight inches high and weighs approximately 16 troy ounces. The covered sugar bowl is seven and one half inches tall and weighs 20 troy ounces.
Woodward and Grosjean are listed as working in Boston, Massachusetts from 1847-1850. They made exceptional silver, moving to New York in 1850 to become one of Tiffany's early major suppliers of holloware. Jones, Ball & Poor was Boston's leading jeweler in 1847, the partnership ultimately becoming Shreve, Crump and Low in 1869. While silver bearing the Jones, Ball and Poor mark in not uncommon, it is very unusual to find the actual makers marks on items sold by the firm. Boston items of the early 19th century are rarely found with makers marks on them, it was traditional with both silver and furniture for only the retailer to mark the item: this is why attributions of furniture and silver from this period can be so difficult. Although the Jones, Ball and Poor mark has traditionally been ascribed as a makers mark (and they claimed to make fine silver), it is often only a retail mark - usually seen without a makers mark.
Making this set even more remarkable is the design. It is completely classical, based on the Roman style of the early empire. The three dimensional repousse work reflects the deep castings found on Roman objects and the 'Grand Tour' souvenirs from Italy which were popular at the time - the relatively small handles and feet are proportions found on Roman vessels. The use of this pattern, 33 years after its original publication in London, is a testament to the durability and adaptability of classical design. What makes this set so truly remarkable is that while fully classical in its design antecedents, it manages to be very naturalistic in a way that could have fit into the most currently fashionable rococo revival interior. Although we think of the rococo revival as being French in inspiration (it was called the 'French Taste' in 1850), these wonderful pieces demonstrate how classical styles can be made to conform to nearly any aesthetic.
Footnote:
- Weidman, Gregory R. and Goldsborough, Jennifer, Classical Maryland 1815-1845, (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1993), p. 161. Other contemporaneous examples of this pattern in silver are known to have been made by Samuel Kirk in Baltimore. Figure 198 illustrates an ewer of this design and notes the design source.
Our Price: SOLD
Itemcode: E87
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