Lot 707
  • 707

AN AMERICAN SILVER BRAZIER, EDWARD WINSLOW, BOSTON, CIRCA 1715

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • marked below rim to left of handle EW in conjoined circles (Kane mark C).
  • length 10 1/4 in.
  • 26 cm
the bowl and grill pierced with stylized foliage, the front engraved C/WD&E.

Provenance

William Downs Cheever (1720–1788) and Elizabeth Edwards (1729 – 1802)
By descent to Alexander Whiteside Williams (1909-1983)
Gift to Boston Athenaeum, 1983
Hobart House, October 1983

Exhibited

Church Silver 1911, no. 1028
Colonial Silversmiths, Masters & Apprentices, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 1956, no 48
London, 1960: American Silver and Art Treasures: An Exhibition Sponsored by the English-Speaking Union and Held at Christie's Great Rooms, London
English Speaking Union, 1960, no. 23
Ellis Memorial Antiques Show, Boston, 1984 
Seattle Art Museum, 1991-96

Literature

Kane 1998 p. 977

Condition

one dish rest with repairs, the grill with two repairs and one small split to the piercing, otherwise good
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.

Catalogue Note

The initials have been associated with William Downes Cheever, sugar baker and merchant, and Elizabeth Edwards, daughter of the silversmith Thomas Edwards; the couple were married in 1749.  They also owned a John Coney chocolate pot of circa 1720 now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1976.771), suggesting an inheritance of important plate from the previous generation.

The attached strap legs on this piece represent an earlier model than the "flying buttress" supports used on braziers by Hurd and his contemporaries, but are seen on pieces such as a chafing dish by Peter Van Dyck in the Museum of the City of New York (Waters 2000 no. 79)