A GORHAM ARTS BEAUX STERLING SILVER SAMPLE HOT WATER URN: 1893 COLUMBIAN EXPO

Description

A GORHAM ARTS BEAUX STERLING SILVER HOT WATER URN SAMPLE: 1893 COLUMBIAN EXPO
PRESENTED IS A PHENOMENAL ARTS BEAUX STERLING SILVER HOT WATER URN CREATED BY GORHAM MANUFACTURING Co. IN 1892 FOR THE 1893 CHICAGO COLUMBIAN EXPO;
THIS ELEGANTLY SHAPED MASTERPIECE IS MOUNTED WITH GADROONED HANDLES AT THE SHOULDER, HAVING A POLISHED AND PANELED BODY ACCENTED WITH FLORAL REPOUSSE', THE SPIGOT IS SET OVER AN INTRICATELY PIERCED FLORAL AND ACANTHUS BAND CONTINUING TO A CIRCULAR BASE DETAILED WITH STYLIZED PETALS AND CHASED ACANTHUS LEAVES, ON A SCROLLED BASE;
NEVER MONOGRAMMED;
IN EXCELLENT CONDITION-- MINIMAL AGE-WEAR;
MARKED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WARMER AND THE URN WITH GORHAM's MARK, STERLING, THE YEAR-MARK FOR 1892, AND THE NUMBER 3726 WITHIN AN OVAL FOR SAMPLE;
THIS PIECE WAS PATENTLY EXHIBITED AT THE 1893 CHICAGO COLUMBIAN EXPO BASED ON THE FOLLOWING EVIDENTIAL BASIS:
I- ACCORDING TO SAM HOUGH, GORHAM SCHOLAR, PRODUCTION NUMBERS WITHIN AN OVAL, BETWEEN 1888 AND 1898, WERE USED ON WHAT THE COMPANY REFERRED TO AS 'SAMPLES'-- "PIECES MADE FOR THE COMPANY'S OWN USE, AS PROTOTYPES, OR FOR EXHIBITIONS OR OTHER PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES":
HTTPS://www.owlatthebridge.com/info04.asp
II- GIVEN THAT GORHAM ASSIGNED PRODUCTION NUMBERS CHRONOLOGICALLY, THIS ITEM'S SAMPLE NUMBER '3726' PLACES ITS PRODUCTION WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF TWO OF THE 'ROSE' SERVICE PIECES THAT WERE EXHIBITED AT THE FAIR, NAMELY:
(i)- A SOUP TUREEN WITH DATE MARK FOR 1892 AND THE SAMPLE NUMBER '3803'-- CHRISTIE'S LOT 34, SALE 1663, 23 MAY 2006, NEW YORK :
HTTPS://www.christies.com/lotfinder/LotDetailsPrintable.aspx?intObjectID=4709952
(ii)- A JARDINIAER WITH THE DATE MARK FOR 1892 AND NUMBERED '3826' -- SOTHEBY'S LOT 47, 27 SEPTEMBER 2011:
HTTPS://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2011/american-paintings-furniture-folk-art-and-silver-n08773/lot.47.html
III- FINALLY, NOT ONLY DOES THE STYLE OF THE URN CONFORM WITH THE EXPO'S ARTS BEAUX ARCHITECTURE AND PREVALENT THEME, IN ITS MANUFACTURE, GORHAM UTILIZED 'OXIDIZED TREATMENT' THAT IS HIGHLY PRAISED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF THE GORHAM PAVILION ON SEPT
E
MBER 19, 1893:
.... ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACT DEM
O
NSTRATED AT THIS EXPOSITION, SO FAR AS SILVER IS CONCERNED, IS THAT OXIDIZED EFFECTS ARE IMPERATIVE TO SHOW THE FULL BEAUTY, DELICACY, AND PERFECTION OF REPOUSSE WORK. A NUMBER OF VERY BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES OF LIGHT OXIDIZING ARE IN THE GORHAM DISPLAY. CONNOISSEURS KNOW THAT LIGHT OXIDIZING METAMORPHOSES, A RICH AND ELABORATE CHASING, AND THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EFFECT OF REPOUSSE IN LIGHT OXIDIZATION AND IN THE HIGHLY BURNISHED SURFACE OF SILVER IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FINE OIL PAINTING AND AN ENGRAVING.
HEIGHT: 16";
WEIGHT: 81 STANDARD OUNCE, 73 TROY OUNCES
(2,296 grams)
WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ITEM  BEFORE LISTING, I SOUGHT Mr. HOUGH ASSISTANCE WITH THE EXPO ATTRIBUTION THROUGH SOME PICTURES EMAILED TO HIM.
HIS GRACIOUS REPLY  (PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE) IS PLACED, HERE-UNDER-- COURTESY OF Mr. HOUGH:
Hello
,
You have a lovely piece.
I know how I would have proceeded to document your urn when I still had access to the Gorham Archives. I wish you luck with Ms Snyder.
The number within an oval indicates that it was a sample (one of a kind) and considering the date and the elaborate decoration, probably made for the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Samuel Hough
THE Ms. SNYDER REFERRED TO IS THE PERSON WITH WHOM ONE HAS TO CO-ORDINATE RESEARCHING GORHAM ARCHIVES AT BROWN UNIVERSITY. I WAS SENT A NUMBER OF EXTENSIVE SPREADSHEETS OF GORHAM ARCHIVES AND ASKED TO SPECIFY WHICH BOXES OF DOCUMENTS I NEEDED TO INSPECT WHILE I VISITED THE LIBRARY AS THE GORHAM ARCHIVES HAD BEEN MOVED TO AN AREA THAT WAS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE LIBRARY PERSONNEL.
GIVEN THAT MY PLACE OF RESIDENCE IS A FEW HUNDRED MILES AWAY, I FIGURED THE RESEARCH WOULD REQUIRE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS.  SUCH A TASK WOULD BE TOO CUMBERSOME FOR ME TO UNDERTAKE. SO, I DECIDED TO ENTRUST THE NEW OWNER WITH IT
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