Peter L. Krider Antique Aesthetic Movement Sterling Silver Salad or Fruit Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, c. 1880's

This stunning bowl is beautifully designed and of great quality. One usually associates this style of work with the firm of Dominick & Haff, however, this is an extremely rare example of another company working in this style.

This bowl is raised and has an applied wire edge and splayed ring foot. The surface has a wonderful honeycomb-hammered treatment which gives it a wonderful reflective quality. There are four exceptionally repousséd and chased unique scenes of various foliage. As seen above, a butterfly is about to land amongst water plants including cattails.

This section has a dragonfly and a bee flying amongst another scene of plants and flowers. The details, including leaves folding over each other, are exquisite.

Krider was one of the finest silversmiths working in Philadelphia during the 19th century. After serving an apprenticeship with the noted Philadelphia firm of R. & W. Wilson, he worked for the important Boston silversmith Obadiah Rich. Returning to Philadelphia, he started his own firm in the early 1850's. His shop excelled at casting, and was one of the largest medal making firms in the country - commissioned to make award medals for the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and others. They produced exceptional pieces (like this) which can be found in many museum collections.

This lovely bowl is marked underneath with Krider's trademark and 'STERLING/ 864'. It measures 8.25 inches in diameter by just over 4 inches high, weighs 14.90 troy ounces and is in very good antique condition with wear to the interior gilding.