Covered pitcher (one of a pair)
These impressive pitchers were presented as a gift to Brig. Gen. Theodore Lyman Jr. upon his resignation from the Third Brigade of the First Division of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. The expansive size, in addition to the presentation of not one but a pair of grandly decorated vessels, underlines the importance of both the recipient and the occasion.
Like Cary’s creampot (cat. no. 183), the Lyman pitchers were produced using handwork and machine work. The hand-raised, repousséd, and chased bodies, as well as the individually cast and cold-chased finials and handles, represent hours of labor. The wide and narrow die-rolled bands covering the junctures and rims of the pitchers are machined ornament that was readily available to the silversmith by the first decades of the nineteenth century.
In contrast to the reserved gadrooned bands that quietly define the creampot’s form, the bold floral bands of the pitchers compete for attention with their profiles. The remaining polished areas serve mainly as foils for the visually commanding ornament.
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.
