Pitcher

The flat, linear character of the decoration on this bulb-shaped water pitcher illustrates a reserved aesthetic that contrasts with not only the exuberant naturalism of the Rococo style popular at midcentury but also the self-important large, lobed, gadrooned, and banded bodies of the 1820s and 1830s. Stylized foliage, symmetrical scrolls, and shells organize the six long, curved panels, and the crisp outline of the rim amplifies the linear effect. The swelling lobes that often formed the bodies of hollowware earlier in the century are relegated to the foot of this pitcher, where they conform to the lines of the flat panels of the upper body.

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.