William Arthur Smith Benson

This impressive silver tea kettle on stand was made by a friend and business associate of William Morris, the most important English social and design reformer of the 19th century. Trained as an architect, Benson is best known for the design and manufacture of metal light fixtures, fireplace equipment, and tableware. By 1890, he had established workshops in London for machine production on a large scale. Benson's designs were highly influential at the tum of the century. They were widely admired in Europe and the United States, published in House Beautiful, and exhibited in France, Germany, Italy, and Scandinavia.

The Museum's silver collection is strong in American work, but weak in European silver of the early 20th century. This tea kettle combines traditional details (the spout recalls historical silver of the 1740s) with a modem form devoid of ornament. The leaf-shaped ends of the feet are a distinctive feature of Benson's other metalwork, but are rarely seen in sterling silver.