Sugar tongs

In the federal period, the luxury craft of silversmithing spread from the established colonial urban centers of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia to growing cities such as Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where these high-quality sugar tongs were made. Samuel Drowne, a minister’s son, was a member of that seaport community’s small but active group of silversmiths, which included his brother Benjamin (1759 – 1793) and his two sons, Daniel Pickering Drowne (1784 – 1863) and Thomas Pickering Drowne (1782 – 1849).1 Samuel, although known as a craftsman and the owner of a house on State Street, near the Piscataqua River, was perhaps better known for his activities as a patriot during the Revolution and for his service to the town in the years after independence.

Elegantly pierced, with multiple voids resembling those of a high-style Federal chair back, these tongs are perhaps the most beautiful example of the form fashioned by Drowne. His shop produced primarily flatware, but some hollowware by him is known.

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.