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 Place: New York, New York, United States

Medium/Technique Silver

Dimensions 11.6 x 11 x 8.6 cm (4 9/16 x 4 5/16 x 3 3/8 in.)

Credit Line Gift of W. Ogilvie Comstock

Accession Number1972.893

NOT ON VIEW

CollectionsAmericas

ClassificationsSilver hollowware

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.

DescriptionA circular molded, domed foot with delicate repoussé-chased foliate decoration and applied beaded trim supports the raised bulb-shaped body. Rounded and beaded applied edge circles the flared lip. Profuse floral repoussé ornament circles back from each side of the frontal cartouche toward the handle in a slightly asymetrical manner. A double-scrolled handle rises above the rim and curves in to join the body at the waist.

Marks "Wm GALE & SON / NEW-YORK" and "W. G & S" in upper case Roman letters on the base, stamped incuse and arranged vertically within a rectangle with rounded corners to the left of a circle and the year "1856" within a triangle.
Ada Mark * F4769

Inscriptions"Frederick William" engraved in script within a reserve opposite the handle.

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.