Coffeepot Maker: Joseph Richardson, Sr. (American, 1711–1784)

ca. 1765–80

American Decorative Arts

On view, 1st floor, American Decorative Arts before 1900

Joseph Richardson was a member of a prominent family of silversmiths in Philadelphia. This coffeepot exhibits many of the hallmarks of Philadelphia Rococo-style silver, including the inverted pear-shaped body with a double-curved bottom, a gadrooned foot, a double-domed lid, and elaborate cast spout and handle mounts. The pot lacks the elaborate engraving or repoussé decoration that signals the finest Rococo silver.

Medium

Silver

Dimensions

12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
other (Lip): 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
base: 4 7/16 in. (11.3 cm)
other: 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm)

Credit Line

Mabel Brady Garvan Collection

Accession Number

1930.949

Geography

Made in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Culture

American

Period

18th century

Classification

Containers

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Francis P. Garvan, New York, N.Y.
Bibliography
  • Martha Gandy Fales, Joseph Richardson and Family, Philadelphia Silversmiths (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1974), 83, fig. 37
  • Kathryn C. Buhler and Graham Hood, American Silver in the Yale University Art Gallery, 2 vols. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 1970), vol. 2, pp. 191-92, no. 844, ill
  • Philadelphia Silver, 1682–1800: Exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, April 14–May 27, 1956, exh. cat. (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1956), no. 347
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States
Additional information

Object/Work type

coffeepots

Marks

"IR" in large rectangle on bottom (twice).

Inscriptions

"IB" scratched later on bottom.

Technical metadata and APIs

IIIF

Open in Mirador

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