Arthur Stone Arts & Crafts Sterling Silver Thistle Decorated Bowl, Gardner, MA, c. 1914

Examples of decorated sterling from the shop of Arthur Stone are quite scarce and always interesting. Beautifully proportioned, this bowl is a wonderful example of hand raised silver with stunning engraved decoration. It has a hand-drawn applied band around the rim, a complementary banded foot and features the lovely soft hammered surface typical of Stone's shop. A magnificent 'LHC monogram decorates the front. The monogram is for Louise Hopkins Chapman who in 1914 married Julian Perry Bowen, Director of the Detroit Bankers Company.

Precise chasing creates 6 stems rising from the base with dramatic representations of thistle and leaves. What appear to be breaks in the chasing of the stems below the larger leaves are actually where two small leaves are chased.

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. Unlike other shops, Stone allowed his journeymen to mark their work.

In this case, David Carlson raised this piece and Stone decorated it. Carlson worked for Stone from 1909-19 and achieved 'Master Craftsman' status bestowed by the Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston.

Stone decorated this bowl himself. This bowl is an exceedingly nice and lovely example of his work, which is highly sought after by collectors today.

This exceptional bowl is marked underneath with the Stone trademark, 'STERLING', and Carlson's 'C' mark. It measures just over 9.5 inches in diameter by just over 4 inches high and weighs 25.45 troy ounces. It is in excellent antique condition.