Arthur Stone Antique Arts & Crafts Sterling Silver and Gold Tobacco Jar or Tea Cannister, c. 1905

This exceptional piece features decoration of Indian pipe, a native New England wildflower. The vasiform body is divided into five similarly shaped chased panels with Indian pipe, in bud form, on the sides of each panel. The top has an organic pentagonal device, each point terminating in a hand-chased Indian pipe in bloom with subtle gold inlaid details.

Arthur Stone was the undisputed master silversmith of the Boston arts and crafts movement. His shop produced some of the finest silver ever made, and many of the journeymen who worked for him were masters in their own right. Stone was the first silversmith to win the 'Medalist' award, the highest honor bestowed by the Boston Society of Arts & Crafts.

An extremely early example of work from Stone's shop, this piece was made entirely by Stone before he hired any employees. One of the most talented chasers of his era, Stone gained the reputation of the 'dean of silversmiths.' The rarest and very best silver from his shop included gold. The technique of gold inlay is highly difficult to accomplish successfully; Stone did as little work with gold as he could and charged highly for it when he did.

Exhibition: Arthur J. Stone 1847-1938: Designer and Silversmith, Cat. No. 19.

Literature: Elenita C. Chickering, Arthur J. Stone 1847-1938: Designer and Silversmith, (Boston: the Boston Athenaeum, 1994), p. 100.

Provenance:
Larry Marsh/ Marsh - Ackerman Antiques, 1980
Private Collection
ARK Antiques
Private Collection

This beautiful canister is marked on the back with the Stone's early engraved mark crossed with a stamped hammer and 'STERLING.' It measures 4.25 inches high by 4.25 inches in diameter, weighs 12.95 troy ounces, has never been monogrammed, and is in very good/ excellent antique condition.