Gerardus Boyce Antique Coin Silver Covered Porringer, NYC, NY, c. 1825-50

Early American porringers with their original covers are exceedingly rare. This is a sweet example with its raised, bulbous, round body with a lovely attached pierced handle. The high, domed cover has an applied ball finial handle.

Gerardus Boyce ran a highly successful silversmithing business from the 1820s until the late 1850s, with his shop located at 110 Greene St. after 1835. In 1846, Boyce exhibited silver at the American Institute fair, winning praise from the New York Evening Post. (1) His silver can be found in the collections of many important museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This rare porringer is marked 'G. Boyce.' It measures 4.5 inches in diameter and 6.25 inches across the handle. The bowl is 1.75 inches high, and the cover adds another 2.5 inches. It weighs 8.60 troy ounces, has never been monogrammed and is in excellent antique condition.

Endnote:

1. Deborah D. Waters, Elegant Plate: Three Centuries of Precious Metals in New York City, (New York: City Museum of New York, 2002), p. 285.