Important Americana: Silver, Chinese Export, and Prints

An American Silver Small Tankard, Johannis Nys, Philadelphia, dated 1716

Lot Closed

January 22, 06:02 PM GMT

Estimate

10,000 - 15,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

An American Silver Small Tankard, Johannis Nys, Philadelphia, dated 1716

tapered cylindrical, applied with cut-card work above molded baseband, flat domed cover with shaped front lip, cocoon thumbpiece, scroll handle engraved SP flanking a tulip, shield-form terminal, the base with presentation inscription, scratch weight, and later family history

marked twice on body right of handle and three times on cover near thumbpiece

14 oz 5 dwt

448 g

height 5 5/8 in

14.3 cm

Repaired splits to rim and to either side of handle. Repair to front of body. Some slight denting to base rim. Body with typical surface nicks and minor creases. All of the marks rubbed. Otherwise in good condition.

The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Susannah Painter
Susannah Cox (1808)
M. S. Paul (1890)
Walter M. Jeffords
Mr. and Mrs. Walter M. Jeffords, Jr., sold
Sotheby's New York, Oct. 28-29, 2004, lot 654

Boston 1956: The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Colonial Silversmiths: Masters & Apprentices, 1956, no. 303, p. 93
Philadelphia 1956: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Silver, 1682-1800. April 14-May 27, 1956, no. 304

The base reads: Susannah Painter's. Given her by her Father Geo: Painter. / Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and Sixteen. / Susanna Cox 1808. / M.S. Paul 1890. / 15oz=6ptAccording to a letter from John Marshall Phillips to Walter M. Jeffords, September 10, 1941, "did you know Susanna Painter whose little tankard by Nys you have was the granddaughter of Caleb Pusey of Chester whose daughter Lydia married George Painter?"

Caleb Pusey emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1682, and his stone house in Upland, Chester County, is the earliest surviving Anglo-American residence in Pennsylvania. Pusey, with partners William Penn and Samuel Carpenter, established the first grist- and sawmill in the Delaware Valley; the weathervane from this mill, with the partners' initials, is in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Worldly Goods, no. 295).

Johannis Nys (c. 1671-1734) was a French Huguenot who trained in New York. He married there in 1693 and appears on tax lists in 1695. He moved to Philadelphia by 1698; only Caesar Ghiselin was established earlier. Nys' clientele was the elite of Philadelphia, including William Penn, James Logan, Andrew Hamilton, and Anthony Morris. He had an active professional relationship with Francis Richardson, who may have apprenticed with him. In 1723, he retired to Kent County, Delaware.