Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Preview image of work. silver, Tray 1807

1924.3.2

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Tray

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Artist

Artist Unidentified

Title

Tray

Creation Date

1774-1780

Century

18th century

Dimensions

18 in. x 12 in. (45.72 cm. x 30.48 cm.)

Object Type

silver

Creation Place

Europe, France

Medium and Support

silver

Credit Line

Gift of Miss Clara Bowdoin Winthrop

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

1924.3.2

As an essential supporter of the American cause in 1776, France was a source of great inspiration to America’s early leaders, including Thomas Jefferson. This tureen may have been among the crates of household wares, including French textiles, porcelains, and glass that Sarah and James Bowdoin III shipped home to Boston in 1808, on the close of his diplomatic service to President Jefferson’s administration. The engraved plate with the Bowdoin coat-of-arms applied to the body of the tureen obscures the aristocratic French arms of the family for whom the tureen was originally made. Rococo in style, this tureen represents a form and decoration that continued to inspire both American and émigré silversmiths, especially in Philadelphia, then the nation’s capitol. With their importation of French decorative arts, the Bowdoins were among the leading style setters in Federal America.