Child's cup
William Gale & Son
(active 1850–1858 and 1863–1866)
William Gale, Sr.
(American, 1799–1864)
William Gale, Jr.
(American, 1825 or 1831–1885)
1856
Object PlaceNew York, New York, United States
Medium/TechniqueSilver
Dimensions11.6 x 11 x 8.6 cm (4 9/16 x 4 5/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of W. Ogilvie Comstock
Accession number1972.893
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSilver hollowware
Collections
It was a fortunate child who received this rich keepsake to celebrate his birth. The traditional cann-shaped form is updated by fashionable Rococo-style floral and scrolled repousséd and chased decoration that frames the inscription and trails around the cup toward the handle.
This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.
ProvenanceFrederick William Dibblee, son of Frederick E. Dibblee (d. 1875), d. unm. about 1884; to his cousin William O. Comstock’s (1815 – 1883) son, William O. Comstock (d. 1931); to his son W. Ogilvie Comstock (d. 1972?), the donor.
