Silver from Modest to Majestic

On view in the Mary Jewitt Gaiser Gallery

This exhibition is generously funded by The Mary Jewett Gaiser Silver Study Gallery Endowment.

This exhibition features silver forms ranging from the commonplace to the exceedingly rare, all made between the 1650s and the 1820s in England or America. They illuminate the presence of this noble metal in the homes and workplaces of ordinary people and royalty alike. Resistant to corrosion, it could be worked into any shape, allowing for the creation of useful objects that doubled as a store of wealth.

Though metalworkers arrived with the first settlers at Jamestown, the silver work they did was mainly repair. It was not until the middle of the 17th century that silversmiths began to manufacture goods in America. The earliest tradesmen came from England and what is now the Netherlands, bringing their own customs and methods of practicing the craft. They created objects that reflected both their cultural tastes and the needs of the communities they served.

Highlights of the exhibition include a chandelier made for King William III, a tankard by famed silversmith, Paul Revere, Jr., a Boston-made sugar box one of only ten known American examples, a teaspoon made by Williamsburg artisan James Geddy, and a soup tureen in the form of a sea turtle.