Skip to main content

Visit Main Menu Block

  • Hours & Admission
  • Accessibility & Amenities
  • Tours & Group Visits
  • Visitor Guidelines

Exhibitions and Events Main Menu Block

  • Exhibitions
  • Events

Art and Design Main Menu Block

  • Collection
  • Collection Research
  • Past Exhibitions
  • Watch / Listen / Read

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum
Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 / 5 Next image

Thomas Pairpoint

Plateau

Maker

Attributed to Thomas Pairpoint (American, 1838-1902), designer
Gorham Manufacturing Company (American, 1831-present), manufacturer

Title

Plateau
Furber Service

Year

1876

Medium

  • Silver with gilding and glass

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Silver with gilding and glass

Materials

silver, gilding

Geography

Place Made: Providence; Place Made: Rhode Island

Dimensions

15 x 73.5 x 43 cm (5 7/8 x 28 15/16 x 16 15/16 inches) (Overall)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Marks: Marked on base: STERLING / [lion] [anchor] G / I.
Marked on top: GORHAM & CO. / UNION SQUARE N.Y.

Marks: GORHAM & CO. / UNION SQUARE N.Y.

Marks: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Marks: 16

Marks: F 32

Credit / Object Number

Credit

The Gorham Collection. Gift of Textron Inc.

Object Number

1991.126.79.1

Type

  • Metalwork

Publications

  • Books

Gorham Silver. Selections from the Gift of Textron Inc.

  • Books

Gorham Silver Designing Brilliance 1850-1970

Exhibition History

Gorham Silver
Designing Brilliance 1850-1970
May 03, 2019 – Dec 01, 2019
Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

Elizabeth A. Williams, curator of decorative arts: Drawing the best of everything from around the globe, world’s fairs allowed companies to display their finest work in the hope of garnering international acclaim. It was at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia that the Gorham Manufacturing Company made its major-exposition debut with stunning works including this epergne, or table centerpiece.

Lead designer Thomas Pairpoint deftly combined motifs from the popular Renaissance Revival style, showing scenes of the Roman sea god Neptune. This monumental piece is also decorated with an adaptation of the equestrian frieze from the Greek Parthenon, as well as truly American iconography. This includes Columbia, the female personification of the United States, who reigns over all.

Joost During, silversmith: Look closely at the plaque in front and note the very subtle but beautiful texture on the skin of the four figures. The direction and depth of this texture define and enhance the shape of their bodies. As a silversmith, I love looking at work done by other metalsmiths, especially when they are as talented as those who worked at Gorham in its heyday. These were not only incredible craftsmen, but also great artists in their own right. The designers who imagined this kind of piece on paper relied heavily on the craftsmen they worked with to bring their vision to life. For me, it is very exciting to see such an excellent example of cooperation between several people with different but amazing skills.

The Furber Service

Made for Chicago businessman Henry Jewett Furber, the Neptune Epergne is one of 740 pieces of silver made to serve 24 people. Most likely the largest commission received by the Gorham Manufacturing Company, the service was produced between 1873 and 1879. Although many of the pieces were made in the Renaissance Revival style seen in the epergne, the Furber service is a visual testimony to the confidence of Gorham’s designers in freely appropriating and boldly combining styles from different eras and cultures, including those of ancient Egyptian and Japan.

Related Objects

No Image Available

Gorham Manufacturing Company

Plateaus
Profile view of elaborate silver double-oval centerpiece with swirling arms extending to two shallow side-dishes, with central fountain-like stem topped by classical figurines, all on a rectangular tray pedestal.

Thomas Pairpoint

Epergne

More objects +

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Attributed to Thomas Pairpoint (American, 1838-1902), designer
Gorham Manufacturing Company (American, 1831-present), manufacturer
Plateau; Furber Service, 1876
Silver with gilding and glass
15 x 73.5 x 43 cm (5 7/8 x 28 15/16 x 16 15/16 inches) (Overall)
The Gorham Collection. Gift of Textron Inc. 1991.126.79.1

To request 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.

Footer Main

  • Become a Member
  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Rent the Museum

Footer Main Navigation

  • Visit

    • Hours & Admission
    • Accessibility & Amenities
    • Tours & Group Visits
    • Visitor Guidelines
  • Art & Design

    • Collection Research
    • Collection
    • Past Exhibitions
  • Join / Give

    • Become a Member
    • Give
  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Events
  • Watch / Listen / Read

    • The Latest
    • Publications
    • Articles
    • Audio & Video

Footer Secondary Navigation

  • Who We Are
  • Opportunities
  • Image Request
  • Press Office
  • Rent the Museum
  • Terms of Use
Tickets
Homepage
Go to the risd.edu homepage. This link will open in a new window.