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Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Martelé Writing Table and Chair, 1903

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Joseph Edward Straker, 1843-1912, English, silversmith
  • Gorham Manufacturing Company, 1831-present, American
  • Potter and Company, active 1878-1910, American, cabinetmaker
  • Franz Ziegler, 1869-1934, German, modeler
  • William Christmas Codman, 1839-1921, English, designer

Title

Martelé Writing Table and Chair

Year

1903

Medium

Ebony, mahogany, boxwood, redwood, thuya wood, ivory, mother-of-pearl, silver, mirrored glass, and gilded tooled leather

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • leather,
  • ivory,
  • redwood,
  • boxwood,
  • mahogany,
  • silver,
  • AR,
  • reflective glass,
  • mother of pearl,
  • thuyawood,
  • ebony

Dimensions

Table: 124 x 136.5 x 76 cm (48 13/16 x 53 3/4 x 29 15/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Table marked on back of mirror: [lion] [anchor] G STERLING CCX
Chair marked on lower back of backrest: [lion] [anchor] G / CCY / STERLING
Signed inside center drawer: "W C Codman 1903."

Place

Providence; Rhode Island

Type

  • Decorative Arts,
  • Furniture

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick B. Thurber

Object Number

58.095ab

Projects & Publications

Publications

Gorham Silver Designing Brilliance 1850-1970

RISD STEAM/Discovery Through Juxtaposition

Read Online

The Long Road Home, The Gorham Writing Table and Chair

Selected Works

A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

American Furniture In Pendleton House

Read Online

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Gorham Silver

May 3 - December 1, 2019

Debuted at the 1904 world’s fair in St. Louis, this writing table and chair were designed to be showstoppers in a crowd of stunning objects. More than 10,000 hours of labor, 75 pounds of silver, and a panoply of exotic materials make up this unique set, which deftly melds sinuous European Art Nouveau floral and figural motifs, French Rococo forms from the 1700s, and traditional Hispano-Moresque designs. Intricately wrought symbolism is found in the daytime poppies and the night owl below the mirror and the decoration of the legs, each representing one of the four seasons, with female masks surrounded by lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, and pine cones. The table and chair won the fair’s grand prize in silversmithing.

Making It In America

October 11, 2013 - February 9, 2014

Elizabeth A. Williams, curator of decorative arts: Commanding as much attention now as when they debuted at the 1904 World’s Fair, this writing table and chair were conceived as showstoppers in a crowd of stunning objects made by Gorham’s competitors. More than 10,000 hours of labor, 75 pounds of silver, and a panoply of exotic materials make up this unique set, which deftly melds sinuous European Art Nouveau floral and figural motifs, 18th-century French Rococo forms, and traditional Hispano-Moresque designs. Intricately wrought symbolism—seen in the daytime poppies and the night owl below the mirror and the decoration of the legs, each representing one of the four seasons, with female masks surrounded by lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, and pine cones—attest to the complexity of Gorham’s design, which brought them the Grand Prize in silversmithing.

Burr Sebring, designer and silversmith: This writing table and chair represent a golden age for Gorham. In 1899 the company moved into a new plant, and with the new design direction from William Christmas Codman, Gorham enjoyed a perfect matrix of leadership and artistry. Codman turned over his rather cursory sketches for the silversmiths, chasers, modelers, inlayers, leather carvers, and cabinetmakers to interpret and execute in three dimensions. Remarkable skill and collaboration is particularly evident in the leaves on the desk's surface, where the ebony and rosewood, which are very challenging woods, were carved away to allow the inlay of silver.

As the director of design at Gorham from 1973 to 1983, I always felt that we were working in the shadow of this moment, which was characterized by outstanding dedication to craftsmanship, hard work, and the time required to create what had never been made before.

An American Idyll

April 6, 2007 - January 6, 2008

Focus on Form

April 1, 1998 - May 21, 2000

After Eden

April 26 - December 29, 1996

The Gorham Collection

May 29 - August 29, 1992

Recent Accessions

May 23 - June 24, 1962

18th and 19th-Century American Galleries

Debuted at the 1904 world’s fair in St. Louis, this writing table and chair were designed to be showstoppers in a crowd of stunning objects. More than 10,000 hours of labor, 75 pounds of silver, and a panoply of materials make up this unique set, which deftly melds sinuous European Art Nouveau floral and figural motifs, French Rococo forms from the 1700s, and traditional Hispano-Moresque designs. Intricately wrought symbolism is found in the daytime poppies and the night owl below the mirror and the decoration of the legs, each representing one of the four seasons, with female masks surrounded by lilies, roses, chrysanthemums, and pine cones. The table and chair won the fair’s grand prize in silversmithing.

Charles Pendleton House

Related

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Martelé Writing Table, 1903

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Martelé Chair, 1903

Gorham Manufacturing Company, manufacturer

Martelé Check Cutter, 1903

More objects +

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Martelé Writing Table and Chair with the accession number of 58.095ab. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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