An American Silver Bowl, Paul Revere Jr., Boston, circa 1790

circular, on a spreading circular foot, bright-cut and engraved beneath the rim with a band of acorns and oak leaves against a striated ground, the foot with scallops, one side engraved with contemporary script initials HCS within a garter, the opposite side with script initials EH?

Hepzibah Clarke Swan (1757-1825), possibly to her granddaughter
Elizabeth Howard (b. 1803)
Bought from a Swan family member by
Firestone & Parson, Boston
Mr. and Mrs. Eddy G. Nicholson, sold
Christie's, New York, 17 June 1992, lot 65

good old surface, some fire scale, vertical scratch to rim above monogram, otherwise good condition, bright-cut decoration still crisp and sparkles
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Hepzibah Clarke Swan (1757-1825) was a wealthy heiress in her own right; her husband James Swan was a member of the Sons of Liberty and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  The Swans were active patrons of Revere in the early 1780s, purchasing a ladle (MFA Boston), a group of engraved spoons, a pair of buckles, and in 1784 a "cream jug" (Worcester Art Museum); they also used him for mending and cleaning pieces (see Jeannine Falino, "The Pride Which  Pervades the every Class'.  The Customers of Paul Revere" in New England Silver & Silversmiths, 1620-1815, p. 173)

As this bowl only has Hepzibah's initials, it may date from after James Swan's departure for Paris in 1787; he returned in 1795 but left definitively in 1798.  Mrs. Swan continued as a grand dame of Boston; intimately involved with generals Henry Knox and Jenry Jackson, she commissioning houses from Charles Bulfinch for her three daughters in 1804-05 – numbers 13, 15, and 17 Chestnut Street. – and sitting to Gilbert Stuart about 1806.

The monogram opposite Hebzibah's may be EH for her granddaughter Elizabeth Howard (b. 1803), of the family at 13 Chestnut Street.  Elizabeth was 22 years old and unmarried at her grandmother's death in 1825.  In 1838 she married Rev. Cyrus Bartol, D.D., and it was through their daughter Elizabeth Howard Bartol (b. 1842) that many of the Swan pieces, including the Stuart portrait and much of the French furniture, entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.