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Waste bowl (from a six-piece service)
about 1835
Object Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
14.1 x 15 x 12.7 cm (5 9/16 x 5 7/8 x 5 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift in honor of Eugenia Cassatt Madeira
Accession Number1982.363
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
ClassificationsSilver hollowware
This assembled tea set is a fine representation of early-nineteenth-century Philadelphia silver by Philip Garrett, the partnership of Robert and William Wilson, and possibly an unidentified maker. It has gained added attention due to its association with the family of Mary Stevenson Cassatt, the famous American artist. Initially made for the artist’s grandmother, and presumably added to by her mother, the tea set became a treasured family heirloom. Two of the objects — the sugar bowl and a teapot — appear in The Tea, painted about 1879 – 80 and now in the Museum’s collection (fig. 5), as well as in works on paper by the artist.
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.
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.
DescriptionThe waste bowl, a vessel form with bulbous proportions, is decorated with bands of stamped flower decoration similar to 1982.359
Marks
Marked in roman letters "R & WW" twice within a rectangle on the bottom of vessel.
InscriptionsInscribed "MS/1813/KKC" in script along width of vessel.
ProvenanceAbout 1835, Katharine Kelso Johnston Cassatt (b. 1816 – d. 1895), Pittsburgh [see note 1]; to her daughter, Mary Stevenson Cassatt (b. 1844 – d. 1926), Paris; until 1982, by descent within the family; 1982, anonymous gift to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 9, 1982)
NOTES:
[1] Around the time of her marriage to Robert Simpson Cassatt in 1835, Katharine Kelso Johnston added two silver teapots and a waste bowl, including the present piece, to her mother’s tea set of about 1813. She had pieces in the set engraved with her initials.
NOTES:
[1] Around the time of her marriage to Robert Simpson Cassatt in 1835, Katharine Kelso Johnston added two silver teapots and a waste bowl, including the present piece, to her mother’s tea set of about 1813. She had pieces in the set engraved with her initials.