Daniel Smith (active England, 1753 - 1788)
Teapot, 1781-1782
Chased silver, 11.5 x 26 x 9 cm (4 1/2 x 10 1/4 x 3 9/16 in.)
This small oval-shaped, British silver teapot sits flatly on a table surface. It has a broad spout arising at a 45 degree angle from the bottom half of the pot. A C-shaped ebony handle is attached to the teapot opposite the spout, and is adorned by an apostrophe-like protrusion on the upper, outer edge, possibly for resting the thumb when pouring. A flat lid sits on the pot with a small dark brown wood knob in the center, affixed with a tiny silver element. Both the lid and sides of the teapot are almost entirely covered with foliage and flowers of chased silver, meaning that the designs are created by using various tools to hammer the front of the silver to produce the intricate detail. In the center of both sides, a series of three c-scrolls encircle the initials,“IS”. A very fine, continuous band of low relief silver beads encircle the bottom and top of the teapot as well as the edge of the lid.
Short Gallery
Commentary
The Agricultural Society of New York presented Isabella Tod Stewart this prize in honor of her horticultural accomplishments. Isabella Stewart Gardner adored her grandmother, a highly independent woman who successfully managed the family’s Long Island, New York, farm after her husband’s untimely death. Gardner displayed this cup in her museum alongside other family portraits and mementoes in the Short Gallery.